Timing is Everything
by Virginia May
Summary: Edward was the one great "what-if" of Bella's life. Eight years after he left her without a word, a crisis brings them face to face in an unexpected time and place. A novella written for Fandom for Preemies-2010. AU/AH. My first all-human story.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer:** The characters of Twilight are owned by Stephenie Meyer. Einstein Bros. is a registered trademark Einstein Noah Restaurant Group Inc. No copyright infringement is intended. All original content and characters of this story are the intellectual property of Virginia May, October 2010. Please do not copy or translate any part of this work without express written permission.  
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_**Warnings:** This story is rated "M" and would receive an "R" rating if it were a film. If you are not old enough to buy your own ticket at the box office, (17 in the US) this story is not for you. __Additionally, Rosalie is a supporting character and there is mention of a sexual assault in future chapters. Please read with discretion. _

_This story was my contribution to the **2010 Fandom for Preemies** fundraiser. Special thanks to **AydenMorgen, pkmarita, DaniaMCullen, AndyMCope, Leah42683, & Nicwise **for organizing the effort. We raised over $5000 to help the March of Dimes in their efforts to help prevent premature births! Lastly, my most sincere thanks to **Susie** & **Kathie **for beta'ing.  
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_**~Dedication~**_

_ For Kat & Chris who inspired the love story, and for Baby Girl Hume whose premature arrival in 1999 inspired the rest. My participation in Fandom for Preemies is dedicated in loving memory of my own little angel: my Abigail, October 28th- November 19th, 2002._

**_September 2010-_**

Edward rushed into the emergency entrance, frantic and unprepared. His cell phone and wallet, along with his ability to remain calm had all been accidentally left behind in the rush to get where he needed to go.

"Help! Please, I need a wheelchair and a doctor!"

An aged volunteer, whose usual job was accepting floral deliveries, looked up at the unwelcome ruckus. This was a relatively quiet hospital, not at all like the much larger teaching hospitals and ER's located in the city center. The volunteer wondered if this guy had come straight from a re-run of one of those melodramatic hospital dramas.

"Please, my friend is pregnant and bleeding. She's not due for another ten weeks and I have no idea what to do."

Someone in scrubs was standing nearby and heard the call for assistance. She immediately rolled a wheelchair over to where the distraught looking man with brilliant blue-green eyes stood. Only then did the elderly volunteer at the desk even bother to truly look at the man.

"Call OB and let them know we need someone down here right away," the woman in scrubs called over her shoulder at the volunteer. "Where is your friend, sir?" she asked turning back to Edward.

"In my car. Outside. Please help her. She _cannot _lose this baby."

"Sir, just try to stay calm. We'll do everything we can. Is she conscious?"

"Yes," Edward answered, silently praying that was still the case. He shouldn't have left her there.

"Has she been in an accident or did the bleeding begin on its own?" Scrub-lady continued her interview as they approached Edward's car.

"On its own, I think. She was home alone. I was getting take-out," he explained, feeling panicked and helpless. Emmett was going to kill him if anything happened to her.

He opened the passenger door and squatted down next to the woman whose health and safety had been left in his charge. It took every bit of macho pride he had to keep her from seeing how scared he was. He hadn't been this afraid in almost eight years.

"Rose? Rosalie? I have a nurse and a wheelchair. Can you put your arms around me, sweetheart?" he asked with placating reassurance in his voice.

Rosalie sat with her eyes closed, trying not to think about how much blood she and the baby were losing. She was trying very hard to remain calm, for she knew if she panicked she would be of no help to save her child. Unfortunately, hearing Edward's endearment almost broke her in two. It must be worse than she thought.

"Well crap, Edward. You only call me sweetheart when you think I'm dying!" Rosalie whined as she put her arms around Edward's neck.

"No, I don't." He answered too quickly, practically shouting in her ear. Edward lifted Rosalie with ease, despite the twenty or so extra pounds she carried now. Still, she could feel him trembling lightly beneath her body.

"Just stop freaking me out and get me inside the fucking hospital," Rosalie snapped, starting to lose her control. She wanted her husband and she wanted him five minutes ago. "Can you call Emmett again?"

"Of course. Let's get you inside first," Edward answered, lowering her into the wheelchair.

The woman in scrubs turned and wheeled Rosalie into the hospital before Edward could stand upright. He followed them inside, leaving a mess behind in his car without another thought. Fifteen minutes later, only after Rosalie had been hooked up to a fetal monitor and been sent on her way to Obstetrics where both her physician and mid-wife were already waiting, did Edward finally leave her side to park his car and make the necessary phone calls.

His first call would have to be another attempt to reach his brother. Emmett obviously needed to be informed that Rosalie was in the hospital, though Edward was not looking forward to be the one to tell him. Having to leave for a convention in Denver, where he had a speaking engagement this week, had been hard enough on Emmett. This exact scenario was his greatest fear. Unfortunately, it was probably too late for Emmett to get a flight back to Chicago tonight and Edward worried that his older brother would panic and try to do something crazy like drive all night to get home instead.

Running his hands through his hair roughly and sighing, Edward tried to get ahold of his emotions. At the moment, he was having a really bad episode of déjà vu; memories of another horrible night eight years ago that had ended with Edward making phone calls to Rosalie's next of kin. Those thoughts had been haunting him from the moment he saw Rosalie lying in a pool of blood earlier tonight. It didn't matter that there was a lot less blood this time, the sight of it had shaken him to the core. Edward's heart was still pounding even now, while his mind ran circles around so many past regrets and present fears.

He found a pay phone near the hospital cafeteria and used his memorized credit card number to call Emmett and then their parents. Lastly he called Rosalie's family, knowing it wouldn't be a pleasant conversation. Mrs. Hale was insufferable woman and Edward considered it a miracle that Rosalie hadn't turned out to be more of a stuck-up elitist than she already was.

He smiled wryly at the thought. Rose wasn't that bad, even though she had changed drastically from the sweet little girl who used to make mud pies and climb trees with him. She'd been Edward's best friend in those days and eventually became his first sweetheart; at least she was until the Hales insisted she enroll in etiquette classes and be presented to society as a debutante. Edward had tried to be supportive of her new life and friends, but they drifted apart.

Fate, however, was a fickle thing and somehow, it had all worked out as it was meant to. Just when Rosalie thought she'd never get over what happened to her, that she'd never see the happy ending she always dreamed of, Emmett came back from grad school and changed everything.

Now everything stood to change again. Edward said a silent prayer on the way to the elevators that would take him to the maternity ward. Rosalie had been taken to a special part of the floor for ante-partum care of high risk pregnancies. He hadn't been given a room number however, so he would have to stop and ask when he got there.

Several minutes later, the doors to the elevator parted and Edward practically sprinted onto the seventh floor of the hospital. He quickly spotted the signs pointing towards the ante-partum care unit and moved in that direction.

The horrified expression of a father and small child passing Edward in the hall alerted him to the fact that he would need to change his clothing. He had forgotten about the blood. There was a dark streak running from his right hip down his pant leg, and the fabric over his right knee and shin were stained from where he'd knelt down to pick-up Rosalie and carry her to the car. His shirt was a total loss as well, having been the only thing available for him to wipe his hands on after he placed her carefully into the passenger's seat.

Edward looked around for a restroom in order to clean up a bit but instead came to the double doors of the wing he was looking for. Sighing in relief that at least he'd found that, he pushed the button on the intercom in order to be admitted. After showing his visitor's badge to a security camera, the doors swung open and he made his way down the eerily quiet hallway.

Edward had hoped to find someone to tell him which room Rosalie was in. He'd even dared to hope that they might be willing to provide him some scrubs to change out of his own blood-stained clothing. Never in a million years however, had Edward hoped to be greeted by the sight he beheld when he arrived at the nurses' station. In his weary emotional state, he thought for a moment that he was hallucinating.

"Bella?"

A startled pair of dark brown eyes darted up to meet Edward's probing gaze. A little 'V' appeared over the bridge of the young woman's nose and he knew he hadn't been mistaken or delirious. His body almost hummed in recognition of her presence. It only took a second for Bella Swan's adorably confused face to bring back a flood of happier memories.

_The one that got away... _

A moment earlier, Bella had jumped at the sound of her name coming from a masculine voice that seemed to surround her. Something familiar prickled her subconscious and she felt her stomach lurch even before she looked up to see where it had come from. She was puzzled by what she saw, or rather _who_ she saw standing right in front of her. It couldn't be.

_The one that she couldn't forget..._

"Edward Cullen?" she asked, the surprise evident in her voice.

"Hello, Bella," Edward smiled. He felt some of the stress he'd been under for the last hour or so start to dissipate.

"Hi," Bella breathed.

She was slightly stunned. He was exactly the way she remembered him and at the same time, her memory hadn't done Edward any real justice at all. She was instantly drawn in again by his almost hypnotic eyes. They were captivating, perfect and just... She felt like quoting the Princess Bride, "_...perfect, with eyes like the sea after a storm." _

Instead of doing so, she asked a rather ridiculous question. "Is that really you?"

"Yes, it's really me," he chuckled.

They both smiled and then fell silent for a long moment before the phone on the desk beeped, snapping Bella back to reality. She spoke briefly into the receiver and then hung up, glancing back at Edward with a soft smile.

Edward was caught off guard by the rush of warmth and calm that came over him while Bella was on the phone. Hearing her voice was like a balm for his battered soul. He felt better, lighter, and a little awe-struck. If it were possible, she'd grown even more beautiful since the last time he saw her. As soon as she finished with her call, he found himself blurting out that exact sentiment.

"You look beautiful, Bella."

She blushed immediately and started worrying her bottom lip between her teeth, a familiar gesture that transported Edward back to another place and time.

_"_It's really good to see you again," he added.

"It's good to see you too," Bella answered quietly.

The pair stood silent again, each feeling vulnerable and uncertain.

Edward knew that he needed to ask about Rosalie and get back to her right away, but there was so much he wanted to find out about Bella, so much that he needed to tell her. He realized with a jolt that if she was working at the hospital then she must be living nearby. Was it inappropriate for him to ask for her phone number and Rosalie's room number in the same sentence?

For her part, Bella was at a total loss seeing Edward again after all this time. She'd long ago given up any hope she had held onto and now after all this time, here he was. Her eyes danced in wonder as she took him in. Her gaze roamed from his angel's face just long enough for something to catch her eye.

Blood.

That was all it took to remind Bella of where she was and that she was supposed to be working. As much as she didn't want to break the spell and risk Edward disappearing again like Cinderella after the ball, she had patients to attend to and there was obviously a reason for Edward to be here, an emergency from the looks of it. Bella's eyes darted from his shirt back to his face and down again. She frowned.

"Why is there blood on your shirt?" she asked, walking around the corner of the desk to examine the rest of him. She gasped when she saw the rest of him.

"Edward... what happened?" She swallowed loudly.

"I'm not hurt," Edward answered quickly.

"No, I can see that..." Bella responded. Her brain was finally catching up to the fact that Edward hadn't really just materialized out of nowhere. She was putting the pieces together at a rather frightening pace. Edward had shown up here, in a high-risk pregnancy care unit, covered in blood, only minutes after they'd admitted a woman with a placental abruption.

_Oh, God._

"Who are you here to see?" she finally whispered, almost as if she were afraid to ask. Bella's mind raced while she tried not to assume the worst.

"Rosalie Cullen."

The words caused her heart to sink.

Walking back around the desk without a word, Bella picked up the patient chart that she'd put down only moments ago. She sighed quietly and looked down, allowing a curtain of hair to fall over her shoulder. It obscured Edward's view of her face, but did not prevent him entirely from seeing the dual expressions of guilt and pain.

Unfortunately, after the night Edward had just had, he couldn't have begun to imagine the real cause of Bella's glassy eyes and heart-broken countenance in that moment. He panicked and interpreted it as something else entirely. Edward felt himself pale as the words spilled unhindered from his mouth.

"Oh, God. What's wrong? What happened? Is she? Did she? Where's the baby? Are they okay?"

Bella snapped her head up, horrified.

"Oh, Edward, I'm sorry. Don't panic, nothing's happened. I uh... I just..." She hesitated to find an excuse for her lapse in control. "I had something in my eye, that's all."

Bella smiled her well-practiced, and often necessary, soothing smile. At times like these, she was thankful that she had years of experience to fall back on in dealing with stressful situations and even more stressed-out patients and family members. Edward seemed to accept her reassurances, but she could tell he was still very concerned.

She knew he needed something to grasp onto and started talking almost as if she were on auto-pilot, first opening the medical chart in her hands to make sure that Rosalie had signed the HIPAA form that gave Bella permission to speak with her patient's husband. Later on, Bella would realize that she hadn't bothered to check the name on the form.

"Your wife's condition is stable now..."

"Uh..." Edward began to interrupt, though Bella didn't seem to notice.

"The doctor was able to stop the bleeding and determine that there's no immediate risk of the placenta detaching, so a C-section won't be necessary for the moment. We're giving her magnesium sulfate and electrolytes through an IV to stop her contractions and keep her hydrated. She's resting comfortably for the moment, but the doctor will want to talk to you both about how he wants to proceed just as soon as she's awake."

Bella turned and pointed to a monitor on the wall behind the nurses' station. Edward attempted to get her attention, but she was on a role.

"The baby is doing fine, we're monitoring him internally and he looks really strong. That," she pointed at one of the squiggly lines on the screen. "...is his little heartbeat. One-hundred fifty beats a minute, right on target a healthy thirty week-er. Your son is apparently very laid back; he hasn't shown any signs of distress since he's been on the monitor, which is a very good sign."

Edward stared at Bella, his mouth hanging open.

He was flabbergasted by her false assumptions, not to mention that he found her erudite presentation of Rosalie's condition to be a huge turn on. He thought back quickly, hadn't she been some kind of English major? He recalled her wanting to be a writer, not a health-care professional. Not that she hadn't always been intelligent enough to do whatever the hell she wanted to, but something about seeing Bella in this new light made Edward desire her just as much, if not more, than he had so many years ago.

He hadn't realized that he'd zoned out until Bella's voice called him out of his reverie.

"Edward? Are you okay?" she asked, concerned that Edward hadn't responded to her summary of his wife's status. "You did hear what I said, didn't you? Rosalie and the baby are both fine."

Edward smiled at her. "That's really good news, Bella, but you need to know something."

"Okay..."

Edward took a deep breath and thought about what Bella must have seen when he ran in here wild-eyed and anxious, and looking for Rosalie _Cullen _no less. It made sense that Bella would have been confused, especially considering the way things had ended when he left Dartmouth. He'd never even gotten a chance to explain or apologize for dropping off the face of the earth without a word. Edward ground his teeth together just thinking about why that was.

Bella saw the strain on his face and reached out to him, rubbing his shoulder lightly. "Edward... it's alright. Whatever it is can wait. Come on, I'll take you to go see your wife."

Edward reached out before she could turn all the way and took her gently by the elbow.

"Bella, wait."

"What's wrong?"

Edward looked around a moment and pulled her into an alcove that held a refrigerator and some lab equipment.

"Look... I know I should have stopped you and explained this earlier, but you caught me a little off guard."

"I know," she said without letting him finish. "You surprised me too, but I can promise you-"

"Bella, Rosalie isn't my wife. We're not married."

Bella raised her eyebrows, this surprised her.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just assumed because of-" She stopped and Edward watched as the little 'V' returned, showing her confusion clearly on her face. "Wait... when the doctor asked about the baby's father, Mrs. Cullen said that her husband was on his way. I don't understand."

Edward sighed. "Well, her husband is on his way, but I'm not him. I don't think he'll be here until tomorrow. He's out of town."

Bella blinked, eyes wide.

"Bella... Rose and I aren't together. We haven't been for many years. It's a really long story, but she's happily married to my older brother now. I'm only here because I promised him that I would look after her while he was gone."

Bella flushed from head to toe. "Oh."

"Yeah," he smiled his bashful smile. "But I understand how you might have been confused."

Bella wanted nothing more than for the earth to swallow her whole. She knew better than to make assumptions about patient/family relationships. There were practically whole courses in nursing school about what not to do. She covered her heated face with her hands. "I'm soo sorry."

"No, Bella..."

"No, really Edward. I just broke about every cardinal rule for working with patients and their families. You have my apologies. I normally would never make assumptions like that. I guess the shock of seeing you like this where I work... I just let it impede my brain function. I'm sorry."

"Bella, there's nothing to apologize for. Look, I know this isn't the right time or place, but something happened that you should know about. I'm sure I don't deserve it, but I hope you'll give me the opportunity to explain why I never came back to school. Why I didn't call until it was too late."

"Edward, that's really unnecessary. You don't owe me anything. What's past is past."

"No, Bella. It's not. At least not for me."

Bella had been fighting so hard to pretend that her words were the God-honest truth, but hearing Edward's plea broke her resolve. She felt like all the air had been sucked from the room and suddenly she couldn't breathe.

Edward shook his head and ran his hands through his hair roughly. "Bella? Will you at least have coffee with me later? Maybe tomorrow after Rosie's husband gets back? I can't really leave her until then, but I really want to talk."

"I don't know..." Bella could barely manage the words. She was afraid to say yes, afraid to hope there was anything Edward could say that would change how she felt about his disappearing act all those years again.

"If not coffee, then would you let me take you for ice cream sometime? For old time's sake?"

"Edward..." Bella sighed, fighting back a lump in her throat.

"Please, Bella? I haven't been out for ice cream in years."

"Oh, no?"

"No. It wasn't the same."

Bella smiled. "For me either."

"Is that a yes, then?" he asked, daring to hope.

Bella sighed. "Yes... For old time's sake."

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_Author's Notes:_

_This is my very first All-Human story. It's quite a departure from my usual, so please review!_


	2. Chapter 2

**_Disclaimer: _**_Still in effect: I do not own the characters of Twilight or Dartmouth University. I do however own most of this chapter. Please do not copy or translate. Thank you._

_**Warnings: **Still in effect: If you are under age, this is not for you.  
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_**Chapter Note: ** We're going back in time a bit. Shall we see what exactly "for old times' sake" means? Yes... I think we shall. ;-)__***__  
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**_September 2002-_**

Five minutes before they were due to leave, Bella stood before the mirror scrutinizing the outfit her Big Sis had chosen for her. Lauren's choices reflected how little she knew about Bella. Red was not her color, nor was skin-tight, though Bella was well aware that wasn't actually a color. Skirts were not Bella's preference either. She hated wearing them, which Lauren knew, but chose to disregard. It was almost as though she wanted to draw attention to Bella's unnaturally pale legs.

The shoes she'd given Bella were really cute but paired with the short skirt, they made Bella appear as though she were majoring in Adult Entertainment rather than Communications.

"Lauren, I can't do this. It's just not me."

Bella moved towards her closet with every intention of changing into her favorite "date worthy" jeans; a dark indigo pair of Lucky Brands that made her feel decent, but still a little sexy. Not that she would ever admit to the latter.

"Uh-uh. No way, Lil' Sis. I need you to make a good impression. The only way I could get Tyler to agree to this was if I could find a hot girl for his friend. Everyone else is unavailable, so you're up to bat, Swan."

Bella crossed her arms in front of her chest indignantly.

"If you think that insulting me is the way to get me to do a favor for you, then you are way off. The last I checked, you owed me for all that free tutoring."

"Bella, baby. I AM doing you a favor, believe me. Mike Newton is hot!"

Bella shook her head and made a face.

"Then you go out with him," she said.

"Sorry, Mike's hot but Tyler is just… Tyler. He's so… exotic," she sighed, looking every bit the love-sick fangirl. She turned to Bella with a wag of her eyebrows. "But believe me; if I could clone myself, I would do both of them."

"Ew," Bella moaned under her breath. She turned her back and went to the closet. She wondered again if the joke had been on her, or on Lauren, when they were paired together for Big Sis/ Lil Sis week three years ago. They were as different as night and day; demonstrated by the fact that while Lauren was a fifth year senior still enjoying the party scene, Bella was set to graduate in December after only three and a half years at Dartmouth.

But then, Bella was a serious student; she had plans, plans that did not include parties, or horny boys, or double dates with friends who didn't even bother really getting to know her. If it weren't for the fact that her mother had always dreamed of Bella following in her footsteps and pledging Alpha O freshman year, she wouldn't have ever considered going Greek. She promised she would consider the option and then found herself lured in during rush with promises of study groups, community service opportunities, and a truly impressive in-house library. And free Wi-Fi. Bella smiled to herself. She practically lived on her laptop, Wi-Fi was good.

Another good thing to come from her years in the sorority was that she'd broken out of her shell a little. Bella was sure she'd still be the painfully shy, blushing girl she'd been when she left Forks if not for the coerced socialization.

"Oh my gosh, they're here!" Lauren shrieked and started to pull Bella to the window. "I cannot wait to wrap my legs around that!" she exclaimed, earning Bella's quick rebuff.

"Lauren, could you be any more crass?"

"Oh, Bella... Get your head out of the gutter and look!"

Bella followed her friend's advice and looked outside.

Her eyes fell on two young men parked in front of their house on motorcycles. Immediately, all color drained from Bella's face and she felt as though she might hyperventilate. Not only were the guys on motorcycles, but they were on speed bikes!

Charlie had always called them, "donor-cycles".

"You didn't say anything about this!" Bella pointed out the window. "I am not going on a blind date on one of those, and there's no way in hell that I'm wearing this skirt! Are you insane?" Bella was screaming and her face had gone from white to scarlet in about 3.2 seconds flat.

"Calm down, Bella. You can't blame me for trying. I'm just looking out for my Little Sis," Lauren whined.

Bella turned away from her and went straight to her closet for her jeans and the most unflattering top she could find. She was seething and contemplated leaving Lauren high and dry.

"You know what, Lauren?" she asked with her back to the pathetic excuse for a mentor or friend. "I really don't feel like going out with you right now! Give me one good reason why I should follow through with this. You've lied to me, insulted me, and made me dress like 'Girls Gone Wild'. I have no idea why I agreed to this in the first place!"

Lauren felt shocked by the outburst. Bella never yelled or cried, and now tears threatened to pool in her Lil Sis' eyes. She was embarrassed and angry, and this made Lauren feel quite guilty.

"Um, I… I'm sorry, Bella. Just… Wow, I didn't know you would feel so strongly about this."

Bella huffed. "Well, I do."

Lauren pouted. "I didn't know that. Come on... Please don't be mad. Please do this for me? I really like Tyler a lot. Like... a lot, a lot. I just want a chance with him. He's sooo gorgeous. He totally makes me come undone with just his smile."

Bella rolled her eyes. She didn't understand what Lauren was going on about, but Bella felt her anger melting at the more vulnerable and honest approach from her Big Sis.

"Alright," she sighed. "But... this guy had better be nice. And his friend better be nicer."

Lauren brightened immediately at Bella's surrender. "Of course they're nice, did you see them?"

Bella stuck her head into her closet to get her jeans while continuing her conversation with Lauren. She practically shouted in order to be heard.

"You know what? There are more important things to consider than just how someone looks on the outside. Or what they're like in bed. Personally, I think that sex should be the last thing you worry about. Passion and looks are fleeting. It's what's on the inside that counts."

Before Lauren could scoff at what she considered Bella's cheesy advice, there was a knock at the door.

"Hey guys. Man on the floor. Can we come in?" called the muffled voice.

Lauren rolled her eyes at the intrusion, while Bella smirked. Back-up had arrived.

"Come in, Angela."

On the other side of the door, Bella's roommate and best friend at Dartmouth, noticed her male companion's long and drawn out breath. Angela looked over her shoulder at him and gave him a reassuring smile. Knowing the gentleman he was, she figured that he was most likely concerned about whether or not her roommate was decent.

However, for reasons he couldn't understand, Angela's date was actually having a very ungentlemanly problem. Something about the impassioned speech he'd overheard just a moment ago had caused an altogether inappropriate reaction in him. Moving his clasped hands in front of himself accordingly, he tried not to think too much about what that meant or why he was irrationally nervous about meeting his date's roommate.

Angela cracked the door open and peaked her head in. "You ladies both decent?" she asked to be sure.

Just in case, the man behind her kept his eyes trained on the floor and his thoughts focused on his mother, or on the fact that he had yet to start a ten page research assignment that was due on Monday.

"Yeah, we're dressed. What are you doing here, Ang? I thought you already left on a date of your own?"

Angela blushed and gave Bella an impish grin. Behind her a low chuckle escaped the man in question.

"I do have a date. I was just hoping you could meet him before we headed out," she explained. Her eyes flashed briefly to Lauren and back again.

Understanding dawned on Bella and she knew that Angela must have heard her yelling and had actually come to check on her.

Bella nodded and smiled. "Sure."

Angela smiled and opened the door all the way, revealing her tall and roguishly handsome companion standing behind her.

"Oh," Bella said, her mind going blank at his crooked grin. It was a moment or two before she realized that Angela was talking and Lauren was no longer in the room.

"…Edward Cullen. This is my lovely roommate, Bella Swan."

Bella blinked once, forcing herself to stop staring at his eyes. She'd never seen a color so striking in her entire life. They had more depth to them than the ocean itself. Yes, Bella smiled at the thought, his eyes were deeper than the blue-green ocean that they matched in color.

"Hi," Bella whispered while Angela cleared her throat and smiled amusedly at her friend. Bella blushed and tried to pull it together. "Uh, nice to meet you," she added, finding her voice.

"Pleased to meet you too, Bella," Edward answered with a wink.

Bella started and looked at him uncertainly. What was that?

Angela laughed softly and looked up at Edward. She was still getting used to those winks. Edward was a genuinely kind and forthright guy, but was ridiculously unaware of how much he affected the fairer sex. Fortunately, he had a way about him that made Angela feel special and they'd been friends and study partners long before she ever decided to chance asking him out.

"Edward and I are headed out to dinner tonight. What are your plans with Lauren?" Angela asked, raising an eyebrow having seen Bella's date pull up outside.

Bella huffed and rolled her eyes. "I'm not really sure just yet. I guess we're going to dinner." She shrugged.

Edward frowned. "Do you know your... date?" he asked, looking slightly awkward. There had been a reason he'd asked Angela to meet her roommate to begin with.

Bella shook her head. "No. I'm sort of going as a favor."

Edward's face twisted a bit. "Just be careful, okay?"

Bella smiled. "I will, thanks. I should probably change and get down there before Lauren agrees to something that will require me to kill her. It was nice to meet you too though, Edward. You both have a really nice time tonight." She leaned forward to hug Angela. "Say a prayer for me, will you?"

Angela leaned back and nodded. Bella mouthed, "Have fun", and then excused herself to change clothes.

Several hours later, Bella was sure that she was secretly being filmed for one of those horrible prank shows where the victim's friends were all in on it. If nothing else, she was certainly in the running for worst date of all time. She would have to check with the people at Guinness to see if they kept a world record for something like that.

After some debate over whether or not she would even get on a motorcycle to begin with, Bella found herself giving in and getting on the back of Mike Newton's crotch-rocket. She immediately regretted it, feeling both terrified that they would crash and horrified at having to sit behind someone she didn't know with her body wrapped around him in such an intimate fashion.

As she slapped Mike's hand off of her thigh for the fourth time in the last twenty minutes, she decided that from the point on, she would insist that all first dates take place at a table with separate chairs rather than in a booth.

"Well, ladies. What do you say we all head back to our place, mix some drinks, and relax for a while?" Lauren's date asked after the group had settled the check.

Mike's wandering hand slid up Bella's back and into the hair at the nape of her neck. Despite the way she tensed her shoulders and pulled away, he leaned into her while caressing the spot behind her ear with his jagged thumb.

"Come on, beautiful, let's make an evening of it. I'd really like to show you that sword collection I was telling you about," he whispered into her ear. Bella flinched and felt ill when a bit of saliva flew into her ear canal.

"I appreciate the invitation, but maybe some other time," she answered curtly.

She wanted to tell Mike to take a hike, or at the very least to keep his hands to himself, but she was trying to be nice for Lauren's sake. She had told him that she wasn't a very touchy-feely kind of person but he either ignored her or didn't get the hint. If it weren't for the way Lauren and Tyler seemed to be getting along, Bella would have bolted for the door an hour ago.

"Oh, come on Bella. We can just go hang out for a little while. Please?" Lauren pouted standing outside the restaurant now. She'd made Bella refuse two separate times before they left the table and was still undeterred in trying to get her way.

"I'm not feeling well, Lauren. I really just want to go home. I'm sorry. Please, can we just go back?" Bella whispered.

Lauren looked unmoved so Bella changed tactics yet again and turned to the guys.

"You boys are more than welcome to come over to our house for a movie and popcorn. The alumnae just redid our television room with a new fifty-inch plasma, a Blu-Ray player and a huge comfy couch. It's Friday, so you can stay until midnight."

Mike smiled widely, misunderstanding her intent and already imagining her laid out beneath him on the aforementioned comfy couch. Somehow the guy was clueless to the fact that Bella had spoken less than two complete sentences to him in the last hour. He was also amazingly unaware of how cold she'd been behaving towards him, although it was no wonder since he'd been staring at her breasts for the better part of their evening. For this reason, it was not terribly shocking to Bella that he made comments laced with sexual innuendo until the ride home made it impossible for him to continue.

What finally did shock Bella was the rough pinch to her backside that came only seconds after she slid off the back of his motorcycle. She immediately spun around to face Mike and confront his vulgar actions, not noticing the couple seated on the front steps of the sorority house behind her. As she slammed the helmet that Mike loaned her for the night into his chest with force, she fully expected to be the one whose voice would be heard screaming obscenities at the pompous ass.

Instead a very masculine and very ominous voice boomed over hers and caught her off guard.

"Hey!" Edward shouted, shocking Bella by his proximity as much as with the venom laced into his tone.

Mike Newton looked up, flabbergasted to see his former roommate here. As he took in Edward's body language, he grinned. Mike already felt a little turned on by the challenge Bella presented for him tonight, and it now excited him even more to think that he may have to fight for her.

Edward approached them and Bella saw the anger simmering below the surface in the reflection of his eyes. At first she was frightened and confused, until she realized the fury she saw in his gaze was not focused on her, but on the ass pincher next to her. Edward came to a stop, sizing Mike up and then looking unimpressed.

"Hey, Newton. What's up?"

"Not much, Cullen. What are you doing here?"

Bella's head volleyed between them astonished that they seemed to know each other.

"Well man, I've been sitting on my ass waiting for Bella here to get home. It seems she forgot that we had plans. Angela and I have been waiting for her for a while now. Right, Angela?"

Edward's lie surprised both girls. Angela's eyes went wide and Bella almost choked on nothing before shooting her roommate a very confused look. Edward put his hand on the small of Angela's back, a silent request to help him out.

"Uh, sure. I mean yeah, we had plans," Angela stammered. She smiled at Bella, though she was thoroughly unnerved by Edward's deception and his hand on her body. Thus far, they'd kept their touches minimal and chaste whenever they were together. At least until now.

Not surprisingly, Mike wasn't buying it.

"Oh, really?" he asked. "'Cause she was on a date with me and it's been planned for a while. We were having a really good time together too, weren't we sugar?" He moved to put his arm around Bella's waist.

Something clicked with Bella when she caught sight of the muscle twitching in Edward's jaw. She skirted away from Mike's advances and dramatically slammed her hand to her forehead.

"Oh my gosh! I completely and totally forgot! I'm so sorry you guys," she wailed.

Edward smiled crookedly and shook his head. Bella was a horrible liar.

"That's okay, Bella. But we're going to have to go right now if we still want to make it to the concert before it's over. We would have gone already, but you have the tickets."

Bella's eyes got huge and her heart started beating wildly. "Uh…"

Mike watched on, fairly sure he was being deceived. "You seriously have plans with them?" he asked Bella.

This time she didn't even hesitate.

"Yeah, I do. I'm sorry Mike, but you should know I forget things all the time. I'll probably even forget that I ever met you before I see you again. So, don't be too disappointed, okay?"

She smiled condescendingly and patted Mike's forearm.

"What?" he asked, his face turning red.

"Have a good night," Bella added before joining Edward and Angela as they turned to leave. Ever the gentleman, Edward extended an arm to Bella which she gladly took.

"What! What the hell, Bella?" Mike screamed from behind them. Lauren and Tyler pulled up on his bike at that moment and had no idea what had transpired. They rushed over only to see Edward send Bella and Angela inside the house before turning back.

Mike started to rush at him, but Edward easily deflected him with a hand on his chest.

"Listen, asshole. She may forget you, but I won't. Touch her like that again, and you'll regret it."

"What the fuck, Cullen? Are you seriously threatening me?"

"Oh no. I'm just informing you of the facts," Edward said with a dark smile.

With that, Edward turned and trotted back up to the front door of the sorority house that he was supposed to have been leaving just moments ago. If he were to be entirely honest with himself, he knew that he'd drawn out his time with Angela to make sure that Bella got home safely. He knew that he should feel pretty guilty about that, but with what had just happened, he was relieved that he'd lingered on the front porch chatting with Angela.

Edward knocked on the door and was immediately admitted inside by Angela. He took no more than three steps before he found himself wrapped in absolute heaven. For as soon as she'd seen him walk in the door, Bella leapt up without thinking and went straight into Edward's arms, hugging him tightly.

"Thank you," she whispered against his chest.

She was suddenly overcome with emotion she didn't realize was there. She felt herself trembling but couldn't imagine why. It was like a current of electricity was moving through her from some unknown source.

Edward felt it too and pulled back to put his large hands on Bella's shoulders. He bent down slightly to look at her face at the same time Angela came to Bella's side. She shared a concerned look with Edward over Bella's shuddering body. As wrong as it was, Edward had thought that the trembling he felt had been his own at the sheer pleasure of feeling Bella's body against his. Now he was questioning if it had been something else entirely.

"Bella, what's wrong?" Edward asked.

"Are you alright, sweetie?" Angela queried a moment later.

Bella shook her head, afraid to speak because she didn't want to cry. It took her a moment to compose herself, but eventually she slipped out from under Edward's grasp and backed up to sit down on the stairs. She peeked up at her roommate and apologized.

"Bella, don't be sorry. That guy you were with is a creep." Angela answered, kneeling down next to her.

Edward on the other hand, backed up a few steps and tried not to think about two things.

First and foremost, he tried to avoid remembering how amazing Bella had felt in his arms, or how she smelled when he held her. Second, he found himself unable to stop worrying that the groping they'd just witnessed outside was the least of what Mike had done to upset Bella. He tried not to think about what else may have gone on while they were out. He should have said something to her, stopped her from going.

Edward cleared his throat and spoke softly, unable to stay silent any longer. "Bella? Did Mike... hurt you?"

Bella's eyes shot up to Edward, his concern so very evident in his tone. It touched her deeply, and she felt another surge of the same emotion that had overwhelmed her only moments ago.

"No," she answered, swallowing back her feelings. When Edward remained tense with his eyes downcast, she was more firm. "He was an ass, but he didn't hurt me. I promise."

Angela and Bella both saw Edward's shoulders relax and heard his breath rush out. Angela stood and rubbed his arm, hating to see him so visibly upset. "You were pretty awesome out there. Thank you for doing that for her."

At seeing Angela comfort him, Bella looked away. She felt really bad that she'd not only interrupted Angela's evening, but that she'd acted like her roommate's date was a knight in shining armor or something. Bella was thoroughly humiliated and confused by her reaction to Edward's assistance with Mike.

"It was my pleasure really. I'm sorry that I had to drag you both into a lie with me, but Mike Newton is a real piece of work. If I'd played it any other way he would have redoubled his efforts. He likes a challenge."

Edward was pleased to see Bella's smile return when she glanced up. He wasn't sure how she'd react to what he'd said outside. Still, he felt fairly awful for making a liar out of both her and Angela. He thought for a moment before getting an idea that satisfied him.

"You know… it's only nine. There's always some band or another playing downtown on Fridays. We could go find a show somewhere and you ladies could make an honest man out of me. That is, if you both enjoy that sort of thing."

Edward found himself suddenly aware of how suggestive his invitation sounded. If he'd heard anyone else say that, he would have said it was a line, and a kind of sleazy one at that. Embarrassed by his gaffe, he quickly offered another option that was much more docile.

"I know of a really good ice cream place though… if you'd rather do that."

Edward glanced at Bella before trying to focus again on Angela. He'd been thrown into confusion from the moment he laid eyes on Bella Swan tonight and he was having a hard time covering. He now ran the very real risk of betraying his mixed feelings in front of both girls and hurting Angela in an inexcusable fashion. Had he seriously just invited his date's roommate out with them before their evening together had technically even ended? He started to panic, wondering at what point he'd gone completely insane and started breaking all of the rules.

Angela noticed his countenance and smiled wryly to herself. She was often mistaken for being far too shy and reserved to be experienced in matters of love and attraction, but that was a gross misconception. With a small sigh, it occurred to her that she should probably feel offended that Edward was so enamored by her roommate. Unfortunately, she was too good a person to be reduced to petty jealousy. She sighed a little and thought for a moment about what a mess this situation would have been if she'd already developed any significant feelings for Edward.

"Well, I for one think that ice cream sounds like a wonderful idea," she said, breaking the silence with a purpose. "What do you say, sweetie? Will you come with us?"

Bella hesitated, just for a moment. She knew she shouldn't go. She knew that she stood to hurt Angela if she didn't distance herself from this situation soon. She knew she should have just politely declined and excused herself. She needed to leave Angela alone with Edward to say goodnight, or whatever it was they were about to do before her evening crashed into theirs. But Bella didn't do any of things. Bella hesitated and Angela saw an opportunity.

"Please, Bella? I would like to spend more time with Edward, but you know how nervous I am about being alone with a guy. Just come with us for a bit. For me," Angela whispered into her ear.

So, conflicted or not, thirty minutes later Bella found herself crashing her roommate's first date with Edward Cullen.

In the chilled mid-September air, the threesome made their way to a quaint ice cream shop that the girls had never been to and sat around a small table talking, laughing, and sharing some of the best ice cream Bella had ever tasted. Although Bella had never really developed much of a sweet tooth, so she hardly considered herself one to judge, and she made sure to say so. Angela laughed at her and rolled her eyes, telling Bella what a dork she was before concurring that the ice cream was indeed excellent.

"You two are positively adorable together, do you know that?" Edward commented while walking the girls home later that night. They in turn laughed and blushed, Bella more deeply than Angela, and then launched into another humorous tale of their misadventures.

While being thoroughly entertained by their antics, Edward came to the slow realization that this was the most genuine fun he'd had in a long time. He felt more like his old self, like he did before high school ended, in the days when he'd had real friends and his life had been easy and carefree. Angela was different around Bella, and it amazed Edward how they seemed to draw out the best in each other.

As the night wore on and she became more comfortable around him, Bella opened up to Edward as well, revealing herself to be an intelligent and compassionate individual. Her beauty inside and out was both obvious and astounding.

By the end of the night Edward was wholly impressed with both girls, and without any real thought about the possible implications of it, he vowed that he would have to spend time with Angela and Bella again soon. Unfortunately, he didn't realize that at the same time Bella had vowed to stay as far away from him as possible.

That first night, she was already so attracted to Edward that the word 'attraction' didn't seem quite adequate to describe what she felt for him. It was so much more than that, and it frightened Bella. Everything about her feelings for Edward were more intense, more significant, and more unnerving than anything she'd felt before. Her high-school sweetheart, Jacob, hadn't _ever_ made her feel anything close to that and she'd loved him with all her heart.

So, for almost two weeks after Bella met Edward, she'd avoided both him and, consequently, Angela at all costs. Eventually, Bella returned to the house one evening to find Edward sitting outside on the front stoop waiting for Angela to come downstairs. Neither of them was aware that Angela had plotted and planned the "chance" meeting, only pretending to have a wardrobe emergency until Bella arrived home. Several minutes later, ambushed by Angela, and encouraged by Edward, Bella found herself once more tagging along on her roommate's date.

She'd been embarrassed almost to the point of humiliation at first, wondering if it was pity that motivated them both to insist she come, but as the night wore on Bella realized she felt happier than she had in two weeks and so did Angela. They were the same easy friends that they'd always been while Edward watched on, doting on them both and paying for their every whim. When they stopped in the ladies room before the movie, Bella apologized for avoiding Angela over the last few weeks and Angela apologized for selfishly continuing to see Edward despite Bella's feelings. Wiping a few sentimental tears away, they agreed to talk more about it later.

When the movie was over, the three friends went out for ice cream once again and sat around talking for hours. They all went home happy and content and looking forward to getting together again sometime soon.

It hadn't been until later that night, when Angela had easily drifted off to sleep, that Bella started feeling the first twinges of her now recurring guilt. She'd lain there for hours, eventually realizing just how much she was looking forward to seeing Edward again. She could no longer deny that she was falling for him.

Three weeks later, nothing had changed. If anything, it had become even more complicated.

Bella stood in front of the mirror appraising her appearance once again.

"Angela, we have to stop going out for ice cream with Edward. Well, I do at least…" she trailed off.

Angela looked up from the paper she was typing. "Why? We always have such a good time!"

Bella turned around, her fingers on the button of her favorite jeans. "Umm…" She took a deep breath in and sucked her tummy in in order to fasten the button in the hole. She let go and let out her breath revealing the tiniest bit of a paunch over the waist of her jeans. "Muffin tops are not really my thing. These are my favorite jeans, Ang. No more ice cream."

Angela let out a relieved breath. "Oh, okay. That's no problem. We can find something else to do. I just thought you meant you didn't want to see Edward anymore."

Bella lifted an eyebrow at her roommate and gave her a look that said, "Don't start". She failed to see the need to have this conversation again.

Angela and Edward were still seeing each other. Bella had felt much too guilty to allow Angela to give up someone as amazing as Edward if he was interested in her. Angela had insisted that it was a pretty casual relationship anyway, but Bella refused to let her throw it away.

The way Bella saw it, Angela and Edward had a lot in common and were very cute together. Edward treated Angela with respect and kindness, and she'd grown more confident and outgoing since they'd been seeing each other. He was good for her, and that was much more important than Bella's crush on him.

Bella didn't seem to notice that Angela had only gone out with Edward on two or three real dates since that first night they all had ice cream together. Nor did she seem in tune to the fact that they were rarely alone. Most of the time, Angela preferred for Edward to come over to study and have dinner at the house. Ice cream had become a regular thing for them as well, but they always made sure to bring Bella along.

Bella probably missed these key details because she tried so hard not to think too much about the whole situation in general. It was becoming painful for her, but she was much too selfish to walk away from either her friend or Edward. Even when part of her started to feel a hint of resentment towards Angela, which disturbed Bella greatly, she couldn't seem to say no where that beautiful boy was concerned.

She sighed and swallowed the lump in her throat. Thoughts like this of Edward and Angela were haunting her day and night now. She couldn't get away from them and she knew it wasn't healthy, either emotionally or physically.

Bella chastised herself yet again as she traded her now too-snug jeans for a pair of brown cargo pants to go with her layered top. She knew that she needed to stop crashing Angela's dates and avoid Edward altogether before someone got hurt. She was convinced that the only thing that could come of this was heartache.

What would happen if Angela and Edward fell in love? How would Bella handle it if they didn't fall in love, but their relationship became physical? She'd never seen Angela and Edward kiss, but that didn't mean it hadn't happened. Edward was probably just too much of a gentleman to maul Angela in front of her.

Just the idea of them kissing made Bella's heart feel like it would crack in two. She took several calming breaths to try and stifle the burn, but it was futile. Already, her heart was breaking.

She knew it then.

It was time to end this. It was time let Edward go.

The phone rang in their room, startling Bella out of her thoughts. Since she was closer, Angela picked it up and not surprisingly it was Edward.

Bella tried to appear busy with her closet as Angela spoke to him. Apparently, he'd misplaced his cell phone somewhere on campus and was running late. Before he hung up, Bella heard Edward's musical voice travel from the tinny receiver as if he'd been shouting.

_"I'll see you soon, sweet girl."_

The endearment was all Bella could take and the tears fell without her permission. She realized that if she didn't get out of her room right away, she would have a full-blown breakdown right in front of her roommate. Hoping to avoid that humiliation, she turned and left without another word. She heard Angela calling after her as she ran down the stairs, but refused to stop. She barely made it to the first floor before a sob broke loose.

Bella looked around, unsure of where she could go. Desperate for a moment of solitude, she took a chance and made her way down another set of stairs to the basement. Fortunately, it was Friday night and she found both the laundry room and TV room unoccupied. Bella didn't even bother turning the lights on as she made her way to a plush sectional sofa and sank down into the cushions. Alone and in the dark, she finally let her sobs loose.

A few minutes later, when the couch sagged behind her, Bella wished that she'd been quieter.

Angela said nothing at first. She simply put an arm around Bella's limp form and smoothed her long wavy hair. Angela rocked her roommate back and forth until the crying abated and there were simply no more tears left to shed.

"Bella... I'm so sorry," she whispered when Bella was merely sniffling.

"S'not your fault. I'm an idiot."

"Shhh... you are not. If anything, I'm the idiot. I'm so sorry for not realizing what a big, fat liar you are."

Bella couldn't help but laugh a little at the way Angela had worded her apology.

"I don't know what I was thinking, Ang."

"You love him; you weren't thinking."

Angela's statement startled Bella and she started to object.

"No, Bella listen to me. I've known you for a while now and I've never seen you like this. I don't just mean the crying either, I mean everything. I feel like a voyeur here. I've been watching the two of you this whole time with some sick sort of fascination."

Bella sat up, effectively pushing Angela to the floor. "What are you talking about?"

Angela picked herself up and sat on the coffee table across from her friend. "Bella... He makes you light up from the inside like nothing I've ever seen before, and you... you completely befuddle that boy! It's the most astounding thing to watch. Edward never loses his composure over anyone or anything, except you." Angela sighed heavily. "To be honest, I know I never should have gone out with him again after that first night. I'm sorry."

Bella was silent. She had no idea what to say to her friend. She felt like a horrible person, yet Angela was encouraging her and apologizing to her.

"Look, Bells, I'm going to tell Edward that we can't see each other outside of class anymore, okay? I know that means you won't get to hang out with him like we've been doing, but I'll talk to him about that. Maybe I'll give him your phone number as a hint."

"No way! Angela, don't you dare! Do you have any idea how pathetic or weird that is?"

Angela leaned back up with her hands in surrender. "Whoa... okay, then I won't do that. But he's probably going to ask if there's a reason why I'm ending things, don't you think?"

Bella sighed. "I'm sure he will. _I _think he really likes you, so he'll want to know."

"_You_ are deluding yourself," Angela laughed.

Bella frowned. "Whatever you decide, just don't make it about me. I'll be fine. I'll get over my crush and be really happy for you, I'll..."

"Just keep lying to yourself?" Angela cut her off. "You are one stubborn woman, you know that?"

Bella smiled halfway.

"Bella, if you are worried about what people will think, then don't. I know there's usually some sort of code around here that we don't date each other's sloppy seconds, but screw that! This is different. You and Edward are different." She ducked down to meet Bella's eyes and smiled. "There's something there, Bella, and I think you should explore it."

"What about you, though?"

"What about me? Sure... I like Edward and all. Just look at him. He's hot, and he's a gentleman, and smart, and funny, and he's a great lab partner and friend. But see? That's the thing. I won't lose anything if I go back to being his friend. I won't spend the rest of my life wondering 'what if,' because I already gave it a try."

Bella nodded and Angela hugged her.

"I love you," Bella whispered.

"I love you too, sweetie." Angela sat back and smiled. "I've gotta go make a call to a certain boy. Hopefully he found his phone. See you upstairs?"

"Yeah, I'm just going to stay down here for a few minutes," Bella answered feeling lighter than she had, but still weighed down by a small amount of guilt.

A few hours later Bella was mostly over her dark mood. She wavered for a while between self-flagellation, relief, and heartache, often finding herself wiping a few tears away. Eventually, she turned the television on and let _"Weekend at Bernie's"_ distract her from further analyzing the whole situation.

However when Bella finally trudged back upstairs to the room she shared with Angela, her heart dropped.

"Angela? What's wrong?"

Angela sat up and frantically wiped away fresh trails of tears. She cursed under her breath, as she didn't want Bella to see her like this. Bella scrambled over to Angela's bed and knelt down in front of her.

"Oh, Ang... I'm sorry. So, so, sorry. Please for-"

"Bella, stop." Angela clapped a hand over Bella's mouth. "I'm not upset about Edward. At least... I'm not crying for the reason that you think. I'm mad."

Bella looked at Angela's fierce expression and, despite the tears, Bella knew that her friend was telling the truth.

"What happened?"

Angela sighed and patted the space next to her. "Sit down. But first, grab those tissues over there."

Bella's heart pounded with dread. She did as Angela asked and sat down, Kleenex in hand.

Angela took a moment to gather herself before speaking and when she did, Bella understood that Angela, tender-hearted as she was, had only been crying on her behalf. For even after all of the tears that she'd shed over Edward Cullen that day, it turned out that she would require some more.

"Bella... Edward's engaged."

~(~)~

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**_End Note:_**

_Oh, oh... what the heck, right? __Please feel free to leave a little review and give me an earful- I won't mind. ;-)  
_

_Next update on December 21st, 2010._

_(PS- To those of you reading "What Drives Her", don't worry- I'm still working on the latest chapter. This story was completed back in October and will not take away from the time I have to write new material. Christmas might, but not this little novella. Just enjoy & thank you for reading! :-) Ginnie)_


	3. Chapter 3

**_Disclaimer: _**_Still in effect: I do not own the characters of Twilight or Dartmouth University. I do however own most of this chapter. Please do not copy or translate. Thank you. :)  
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_**Warnings: **Still in effect: If you are under age, this is not for you.  
_

_**Chapter Note: **Thanks again to Susie and Kathie, and thank you to my faithful What Drives Her readers for reviewing; you know who you are! ;-)_

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**_October 2002-_**

It took several weeks after that night for either Bella or Angela to get over feeling as though they'd both been betrayed. Bella no longer felt so bad about falling for her roommate's cheating lab partner. And neither of the girls would think of him as anything more significant than that.

Bella believed that Angela had been hurt the most by Edward's giant omission. After all, he'd been her friend for the last few semesters and she thought that she knew him well. Learning about his secret fiancé in Chicago made Angela question how many other secrets he might have kept from her, and if he'd ever been sincere about anything at all. It made it difficult for Angela to even show up for the classes she shared with him.

Bella, on the other hand, was no more disappointed by Edward than the thousands of other girls around the globe everyday who find out that the boy they have a crush on is really just a jerk. Her heart still hurt when she thought about him, but as she wasn't forced to see him regularly, each day that passed had her thinking of him a little less.

By Halloween, Angela and Bella were both over it. Or so Bella said. While Angela had met a new guy, a theology student named Ben who had an ardent distaste for lying, Bella barely left their room unless it was for class or dinner. Angela knew it was going to take some time for Bella to get over her disappointment given how hard she'd fallen for Edward. But as a good roommate, Angela also felt it was important to Bella to at least try to enjoy her last semester at Dartmouth. With that in mind, Angela convinced Bella to attend a costume party with her and a small group of their sorority sisters later that weekend.

Within minutes of arriving at the party, Bella realized that having fun was going to be somewhat difficult. She'd just had a sip of her first drink, some Vodka infused concoction passing for "Witch's Brew", when a flash of bronze hair caught her attention. She continued listening to Ben's version of how he and Angela met and pretended that she hadn't noticed Edward walk in the door. Angela saw him a minute later and shared a knowing look with Bella. Bella shrugged and finished off her drink.

Three drinks later, Bella was almost able to ignore Edward's presence a few rooms away. Angela had sent Ben off on a reconnaissance mission an hour earlier and he spotted Edward playing pool in the game room. The girls headed to the opposite side of the house and eventually Bella was able to loosen up a bit and begin socializing.

As the night wore on, Angela and Ben disappeared around the same time Bella ran into a rather obnoxious boy she'd had Humanities with last year. She was having a surprisingly nice conversation with him until she looked around the room for Angela and instead was met with penetrating blue-green eyes. Edward was standing only yards away, ignoring the uninteresting girl next to him, and looking right at her. She wanted to be glad that he was here, that he'd noticed her, but all she felt was an ache in her chest.

Bella jumped up from her seat and excused herself citing a need for some fresh air. She grabbed another Smirnoff on the way out the back door and was soon tripping down the steps of the deck.

"Whoa there... careful," a smooth voice murmured behind her as strong hands shot out to keep her from falling.

Bella made it to the bottom of the stairs in one piece and turned slowly. Her intoxicated state made it impossible for her to remember why she'd been avoiding Edward. Of course, the alcohol made it hard for her to remember a lot of things. Bella was aware of how close he was to her. Her body pulsed in response to his nearness. In the cold October air, his heat drew her to him. Her eyes traveled lazily up from his chest to his face and she smiled when their gazes met.

"You okay?" Edward asked. It was obvious from the dippy smile and glassed-over look in her eyes that she'd had a lot to drink.

Bella's smile faded and she shook her head. "Not really, no."

Edward smiled softly, sadly. "Have one too many?"

Bella snorted. "Nope."

"You sure about that?" he asked.

"As sure as I am that you're a jerk," Bella quipped and tried to turn to leave.

"Wait, Bella..." Edward held her elbow gently, preventing her from turning.

"What?" Bella sighed.

"I wanted to apologize."

"For what, Edward?"

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I... I guess for not being honest with Angela. For misrepresenting myself to both of you."

Bella looked up at him, waiting to see if there was anything else he might add but he didn't.

"Fine. I forgive you for that." She turned around and left him standing there. There wasn't really anywhere to go in the small back yard she currently found herself in, so it wasn't long until she returned to where he stood blocking the stairs.

"Bella, what _don't _you forgive me for?" he asked when she came back.

Bella had to close her eyes to stop the world around her from spinning. It took her a moment to make sense of Edward's question and then answer.

"Umm... I don't forgive you for being a jerk. And I don't forgive you for making me care about a jerk."

Edward sighed and looked down. "I didn't mean to make you care about me."

Bella laughed without humor. "Gee thanks, that makes me feel so much better. Wow... you should apologize as a career, you know that? You're _awesome _at it."

She hoped he couldn't see the tears in her eyes, though there was no hiding the bitterness in her voice.

"Bella, please. Let me explain."

"Explain what, Edward? You have a fiancé back home and went out with Angela anyway. It's not complicated. What else is there?"

"A lot, actually. I don't even know why I mentioned it to Angela except that when she called me to tell me she just wanted to go back to being friends she said something about you... and I... I just-"

"She WHAT?" Bella shouted, garnering the attention of several other costumed party goers. "What did she say to you?" Bella couldn't believe that Angela would have exposed her feelings for Edward.

"It's not important. It's just that I thought maybe if we started spending a lot of time together when I wasn't dating Angela... Well, that you would get the wrong idea."

"Oh, nice. Why didn't you have a problem giving Angela the wrong idea?" Bella challenged.

"It wasn't like that with Angela and me! She knew it was just supposed to be casual!"

Bella saw red. "Oh! Because that makes it okay to date someone else when you are engaged to be married!" She stuck an indignant finger in his face. "You are engaged, Edward! Engaged! That means you're off the market. What kind of person keeps dating while his fiancé is sitting at home planning their wedding?"

Edward grabbed her hand from in front of his face and pulled her with him away from the gathering crowd.

"There is no wedding and lower your voice, please."

"Why? Are you afraid of ruining your perfect little double-life?"

Edward ground his teeth together. He really wanted to yell at her, but that was not the way he was raised. Not to mention, she was absolutely right.

"Stop it, Bella. You don't know what you're talking about."

The look on Edward's face sobered Bella quickly. He looked like he was in physical pain.

"I'm sorry, you're right," she said, taking a couple of deep breaths. She looked away from him and tried to ignore the sick feeling in her stomach. "I guess I don't know you at all. It's unfair of me to judge you."

Edward lifted her chin so she would look at him. "Bella... You know me. You know the real me. The guy who is technically engaged? That's not me. I'm not that guy. I never was. You know _me_, Bella."

Bella wanted nothing more than to believe Edward, but she was too drunk to decide whether or not he could be trusted. She swayed on her feet slightly and felt her stomach flip-flop, and not in a good way.

"I don't feel so good."

Edward sighed and brushed Bella's cheek with the back of his hand before extending that hand to her palm up.

"Come on, let's get you home."

Bella stared at his fingers before finally lifting her arm to take his hand. He smiled regretfully at her and guided her back inside to find Angela.

The next morning, Bella's head wasn't pounding as badly as she expected it to. She knew she had Edward to thank for that. She figured at some point she was going to have to face him again and say thank you, but Bella felt as though she needed some time to process everything he'd told her last night.

After saying goodbye to Angela and allowing her to interrogate him thoroughly about his intentions, Edward drove Bella home from the party and helped her inside. He insisted that she drink plenty of water before going to bed and then sat at a table in the dining room with her until she did. Bella sobered up considerably while she sipped her water and when Edward returned from the kitchen with a re-fill, Bella decided she wanted some answers. Just as he was about to leave she grabbed his wrist and asked him to explain what he meant when he told her there was no wedding.

Reluctantly, Edward sat down at the table and told Bella everything. In the light of the morning, she wondered again if he had been entirely truthful. The whole thing seemed like something out of another century or, at the very least, some kind of romance novel.

"What'cha thinking about?" Angela's voice broke Bella's slightly throbbing reverie; it seemed she would need some Advil and a cup of coffee after all.

"Mornin', Ang." Bella lolled her head to the right to see that the haystack of hair that had graced Angela's pillow earlier was now pushed back to reveal tired looking eyes staring back at her. "What time did you get home last night?"

Angela yawned and looked at the clock. "Around three, three-thirty maybe? I thought for sure I woke you up when I came in."

Bella laughed quietly. "Nope. I'm glad you got in okay, though. Did you have fun?"

"I did. Ben was such a gentleman, believe it or not. I know we were kind of... not around a lot last night. Um... we did go to IHOP to have coffee and talk after leaving the party."

"That's great, Ang. You must really like him then, huh?"

"I really do." Angela sat up a little and looked at Bella carefully. "So... Edward brought you home."

Bella sighed and pulled her pillow over her face. "Yeah?"

"And? What happened?"

"He made me drink water."

"And?"

"And... he told me about his girlfriend."

Bella heard Angela's covers rustling and then her bed dipped down and soon Angela was crawling under her linens with her. Bella moved her pillow. "What are you doing? I have morning breath."

"So do I, and I'm getting comfortable. You're telling me everything."

Bella groaned and moved over to make more room for Angela as well as put some distance between them. Not that Angela wasn't the world's best roommate, but Bella didn't care to spoon with her.

"So... everything, huh? Well, he's technically still engaged. He's been technically engaged for four years."

Angela clucked her tongue. "What does that mean, 'technically'?"

Bella sighed. "It means that officially, as far as anyone back home is concerned, he and his girlfriend from high school are getting married after college."

"Okay? Unofficially, what does that mean?" Angela pushed.

"It means he doesn't plan on marrying her. He says she feels the same way."

"I don't get it. Why are they even together?" Angela asked.

Bella threw her hands up in the air. "That's what I said! I mean seriously! I get why they did it to begin with, but it's been four years! Now they're both just being stupid. And personally, I think Edward's been hiding behind this whole arrangement to avoid getting tied down. Classic avoidance syndrome."

Angela sat up. "Wait, slow down. What arrangement? Why did they get engaged to begin with?"

Bella rolled her eyes. "It's a long story. Her parents were, or are, very old fashioned and stuck up. They had expectations that didn't include her going to MIT in Boston, which was her dream. Edward says she was always really mechanically minded, like she could just figure things out by looking at them. It used to drive him crazy when they were kids, apparently. Oh, yeah... they grew up together too. Her family has a huge estate right next to Edward's family's estate. Her nanny made friends with Edward's mom at the Country Club playground or something like that. They all went to private school together... blah, blah, blah."

"Jeez... sounds like they're loaded." Angela was trying to imagine Edward growing up privileged and for some reason just couldn't manage it. "He never came across that way."

Bella nodded in agreement. "I know. I was surprised too."

"So get to the engagement part, what happened?"

Bella laughed at Angela's tone. "Well, he says that towards the end of high school they'd started drifting apart. She did the debutante thing, just like her parents wanted her to, and made all these new friends that he couldn't stand. They barely saw each other unless there was an event to go to and she needed an escort. Edward figured they'd stick together through the end of senior year and go their separate ways before college. Then just before graduation, she found out about getting into MIT and that's when her parents told her she couldn't go."

"Why not?" Angela asked, confused.

"They had a list of 'approved' schools that she could choose from, and that wasn't one of them. They also told her she would have to start getting her father's approval before dating anyone new and thought it was time for her to consider seeing more serious suitors. Apparently they intended for her to marry well and Edward didn't count."

Angela snorted at the idea and Bella smiled.

"Well, Edward said he didn't care so much about that part because he never liked Rosalie's family anyway. However, there was one thing he was adamant about, and that was her education. I guess along with that whole mechanically minded thing, she's just unbelievably intelligent all around. Edward knew she wanted to study technology and engineering, and it pissed him off that her parents treated her like she was a commodity or something pretty to look at. He made her promise that if they refused to let her make her own choices about school, or tried to force her into marrying too young, that she would come to him. He told her he would marry instead, and then she could do whatever the hell she wanted to. It almost came to that before her parents backed down. They've been 'technically' engaged ever since."

"Wow..." Angela breathed when Bella had finished her story. "That's... I don't know? I feel sort of proud of Edward. Except that's a really horrible reason to marry someone." Angela looked at Bella curiously then. "But why didn't they break it off after a while? I mean, it's been what? Four or five years now? Why keep up the charade?"

"That," Bella sighed heavily, "...is a very good question."

Bella spent the next few days pondering the answer to that very issue on a fairly regular basis. She could accept Edward's situation to a certain extent, provided that what he told her was true, but she just couldn't imagine staying in a loveless and false engagement out of a mere sense of duty. Nor could she imagine living nine months out of the year as if that arrangement didn't exist. How many hearts like hers had Edward left in his wake? Surely, she couldn't be the only one.

The following Thursday brought with it unseasonably warm temperatures for November, allowing Bella to stop and sit under a tree near the College Green after her last class of the day. It was something she'd taken to doing during summer classes and for whatever reason, she felt like pretending it was summer today. Not long after she began reading, the sunshine and fresh air worked their wonders to relax her and her eyes began feeling heavy.

"Hey there, stranger," a musical voice called to her from a few feet away. Bella looked up, suddenly wide-awake.

"Edward?" she blinked.

"Can I join you for a moment?" he asked, sounding nervous.

"Sure."

"How are you?" Edward asked, as he sat down across from Bella and smiled one of his trademark shy smiles.

Smiling back, Bella answered him in a formal manner. "I'm good, thank you. What brings you to this end of the campus today?"

Edward chuckled. "I have been known to go to the library from time to time."

Bella blushed. _Right. _She knew that.

"What about you? What are doing under a tree today?" Edward asked with a good deal of amusement still evident in his voice.

She held her book up. "Reading. It's a beautiful day."

"Yes, it certainly is."

They both fell silent, neither of them knowing where to start. Edward regarded Bella carefully wondering what she was thinking and if there was any way she could be as happy to see him as he was to see her. She gave no outward indication, but then from the few conversations he'd had with Angela since last weekend, he wasn't surprised by that. Angela had told him how introverted Bella had become lately.

He smiled remembering the earful he'd gotten when Angela finally got fed up and chided him for not calling or coming over even once this week to check on Bella. Angela cursed at him and she never cursed. Not that Edward didn't already know he was an ass, but being told so by a preacher's daughter stung a little more than usual.

Of course, he knew this whole dating "casually" thing would back fire on him one day. He knew he ran the risk of some poor girl developing real feelings for him just to find out he was unavailable or uninterested. He just hadn't expected that to happen with a girl he wasn't even dating. Nor had he expected that he would develop real feelings for her in return.

Edward swallowed hard. He'd really messed this whole situation up in a monumental way. Angela was his friend and he'd offended her. Bella was his... well, Bella was in his thoughts every waking moment, but he'd probably lost her now that she knew the truth. He was officially an idiot.

"How have you really been, Bella?" Edward asked, finally breaking the quiet stillness that had settled between them.

"Oh, I've been... busy," she answered, biting her lip and wondering if she should say anymore. She decided to deflect the question back on Edward instead. "And you? How are you doing?"

"Well, to be honest... I'm doing pretty shitty." He sighed and paused a moment, shaking his head. "I miss seeing you, Bella. I miss going for ice cream. I miss your smile." His voice dropped low then that she wasn't sure she really heard him right. "I miss a lot of things," he whispered.

"Me too," Bella said almost silently, fighting with herself not to get carried away by his words.

"Bella..." Edward began, waiting for her to meet his eyes before continuing. "Do you want to go get an ice cream with me? For old time's sake?"

She started to tear up and had to look away. She desperately wanted to go. Hell, she wanted to throw herself at Edward and kiss him senseless, but she was a fool to be thinking those things. In all the time they'd spent together, Edward had never given any indication that he felt any sort of feelings towards Bella other than friendship. Even when he took care of her the other night, it was nothing more than what Angela would have done for her.

"I don't know, Edward. I-" Her voice cracked and dropped off.

"Oh, Bella..." Edward scooted closer to her, moving around to tuck her into his side, his arm going around her shoulder and holding her body against him tightly.

It was, just as it had been the first time, heaven to have her in his arms. The way his body hummed in response to hers was almost electric. He had to concentrate to keep the feeling from overwhelming him. Taking a deep breath of Bella infused air, he leaned down and spoke gently.

"Aren't we still friends? I meant what I said on Saturday, you really do know me better than anyone and I don't want to lose that."

"I know," she said simply. In her mind, his words only confirmed that he saw her as nothing more than a friend. Bella sighed and let her head fall against Edward's chest just for a moment.

"Do I sense a 'but' in there somewhere?" Edward asked when she didn't continue.

"But... I don't think that I can pretend with you, Edward. I want everything to be okay again, but it just isn't."

"Why? Why can't it be?" he asked, turning her face up to his eyes.

"Because you don't want me getting the wrong idea," she said, her eyes pricking as she used his own words from the other night against him.

Edward winced a little. "What idea is that?"

"Are you really going to make me say it? Isn't it obvious?"

Edward searched her face and gathered his resolve. "Tell me."

Bella inhaled raggedly, her eyes threatening to spill over. "I can't, Edward. Please... Why are you doing this to me?"

Edward grabbed her face firmly, but gently between his hands. "Tell me, Bella. Please, I need to hear you say it."

"Why? " Bella cried, not understanding.

Edward growled in frustration and looked down on her with fire in his eyes. He wavered back and forth for a good long while until he finally couldn't take it anymore and confessed.

"Because I'm an insecure coward, Bella! Because I started falling for someone who entered my life when I was completely unprepared for it. Someone who happens to be one of the most genuine friends I've ever had and makes me feel like me again. Because she actually sees me, and maybe even wants me, even though I tried to push her away." He sighed and stroked Bella's cheeks with his thumbs. "I don't want to lose her, and I don't want to stay away from her anymore. I want to tell this amazing girl how I feel about her and have her tell me that she feels the same way. So, please, Bella. Please? Tell me."

Bella was practically hyperventilating and she could barely see straight because of the tears welling in her eyes. Inhaling shakily, she reached up and mimicked Edward, holding his face between her hands.

"She feels the same way."

Edward exhaled and brought his forehead to hers, wiping away her tears with his thumbs. "Thank you... Thank God."

He wanted so much to kiss her right then and there, but he knew there were some things they still needed to discuss. Not only that, but they were sitting out in the open and would have had an audience. He kissed the tip of her nose instead of her tempting mouth and leaned back a bit.

"Will you please let me take you out for an ice cream now?"

Bella laughed a little. "What is with you and the ice cream?"

Edward slid his hands down and threaded his fingers together with Bella's, shrugging and slightly embarrassed.

"It's our thing."

Bella smiled. "_Why_ is it our thing?"

This time Edward blushed.

"When I was little, it was what my mom used to do with us when we had a bad day. So, that first night, the night we met... I just wanted to make up for your bad day. I wanted to make you happy." He pushed a piece of hair away from Bella's face.

"That's really... sweet."

Bella giggled at her own pun and Edward joined in. His light laughter was almost a manly sort of giggle and Bella knew she'd never heard Edward laugh quite like that before. The thought that she had something to do with that made her secretly squeal.

"So is that a yes?" Edward asked, his eyes alight from recent laughter.

Bella nodded, equally lit up inside. "Yes."

Later that evening, Edward and Bella sat in a nearly deserted ice cream parlor, at the very same table they had originally occupied the night they first met. Clasped hands, empty sundae glasses and half-full coffee cups cluttered the table as Bella and Edward talked about anything and everything that had ever gone unsaid between them.

At one point, Bella decided to call Angela to let her know where she was and not to worry. Angela had insisted on speaking to Edward, and reluctantly Bella handed him her cell. Five minutes later, he gave it back. Angela had surprised them both by offering her forgiveness and her blessing to Edward.

The conversation between Bella and Edward was lighthearted after that and they exchanged funny stories involving their individual memories of Angela for a bit. Edward was still laughing over one of Bella's stories when she abruptly turned serious.

"Why didn't you end your engagement after the first year or two had passed? I mean, surely after she turned eighteen and got established at MIT, Rosalie could handle her parents on her own. I just don't understand why you're still pretending? What's in it for you?"

Edward sighed and closed his eyes briefly. "Sometimes it's easier to play your role and just keep up the charade." He smiled at Bella and brushed his fingers across her cheek softly. "I got used to staying unattached and it was easier for Rose like this too. It was what she wanted and I never had a reason to care one way or the other. Not until now."

Bella felt overwhelmed by his words. "You're a good man."

Edward's cheeks flushed a little and he shook his head. "If I am, it's only a recent development. I've been lying to everyone for years, Bella. I'm sure I've hurt others before you, I just didn't care enough to see it. I don't deserve you."

Suddenly, the table between them seemed a mile wide and Bella wanted it out of the way. She stood up and tugged on Edward's hand until he followed suit. Wordlessly, she led them out of the ice cream shop and around the corner. Once there, Bella turned to face Edward slowly.

Edward had been worried at first when Bella got up to leave so quickly, but then as she led him outside to a secluded spot around the side of the building, he sensed a different kind of urgency from her that sent fire coursing through his veins. By the time she faced him, he was nearly shaking from anticipation. He hadn't expected this. He was sort of still trying to plan his first move, but Bella had made it for him.

Unfortunately, Bella's confidence wavered when she saw the sheer desire in Edward's eyes. Though she wanted more than anything to kiss him at the table moments ago, now that they were alone, she was nervous. She let go of his hand and reached up to touch his face. He sighed and closed his eyes which made her more confident. Stepping closer to him, she gazed up at him from under her eyelashes and waited for him to open his eyes. Soon, the pools of Edward's impossibly dark eyes were staring back at Bella, inching closer with each breath.

Edward wet his lips and hovered above Bella's mouth for a moment. Breathing her name, he closed the distance between them and pressed his lips to hers. She moaned immediately and accepted him by parting her mouth, moving with Edward and matching his kiss in every way possible. He groaned as he felt her body melt into him and quickly reached around her with both arms to pull her closer still.

Bella had never felt anything like what she was feeling at that moment. Edward kissed her the way that she only ever dreamed of being kissed. And unlike every other first kiss she'd ever experienced, there was nothing sloppy, awkward, or hesitant about this first kiss with Edward. It was perfect and she never wanted it to end.

Edward's thoughts were much the same. He believed he was in heaven, taken there entirely by Bella. Unaware of anything but the feel of her, he was shocked to feel his knuckles brush against cold brick. Realizing that it meant that he'd pushed Bella up against the side wall of the ice cream parlor, a small part of him became horrified at his behavior. The rest of him could care less while he was so completely lost in the girl he had fallen for. Nothing existed outside of her arms, her lips, her taste, or her scent. She surrounded him and he never wanted it to stop.

As their lips moved heatedly, their tongues brushed together lightly at first, and then again and again more insistently. It was more than either of them were prepared for. Panting, they broke apart and nearly collapsed against each other. Edward's legs felt like jelly and he regretfully had to remove one hand from Bella in order to hold them both up against the wall behind her.

Fortunately, the street was silent, save for the sounds of their ragged breaths and pounding hearts. As their pulses slowed, Bella uttered the only thing she could think of.

"Wow..."

Nodding against her forehead, a breathless Edward agreed. "Yeah, wow..."

He closed his eyes and tightened his hold around her waist. "Where did you learn to kiss like that?" he whispered, only half-serious.

Bella laughed, but it was all breath. "I don't know... I've never... that's not... nobody ever..."

Edward chuckled and stopped her. "I was kidding. Well... sort of," he chuckled. He kissed her forehead once gently, almost as if he were afraid to touch his lips to hers again in public.

Bella sighed and leaned back to look up at him. "I've never felt anything like that in my life."

He smiled, feeling pretty damn thrilled to hear that. "Me either. That was incredible. _You._.. are incredible."

Bella dropped her forehead against Edward's chest, fisting his shirt in her hands. "We are in sooo much trouble."

"What do you mean?"

"Well... I don't know about you, but I don't think I'll be able concentrate on much else when I could be doing that instead. Not to mention the fact that I don't think I'll ever want to kiss anyone else as long as I live."

Bella lifted her head, either unashamed or unaware of what she was implying, and stood on her tip-toes. Edward adjusted his hold on her and used his arms to lift her up the rest of the way until they were eye to eye.

"Good."

His one word answer was all he had the patience for before joining his mouth with hers once again. He groaned in gratitude to God or fate when their second kiss was as equally mind-blowing as their first. When it became obvious that Bella was not going to pull away anytime soon, Edward lowered her to the ground and stepped a respectable distance away from her. She was reluctant to let him go, but a car passing by on the street reminded them that they were after all, in public.

Bella sighed longingly as Edward took her hand in his and leaned over to pick up both of their bags, which had been haphazardly tossed aside at some point. The sound caught his attention and he looked up at her.

"I'm taking you home with me. Is that okay?"

Bella stilled and stared into dark eyes blazing with emotion and desire. _Was_ that okay with her? She didn't question what she would be tempted to do if she went with Edward. Bella knew herself well enough to know that with the way she was feeling right now, it would be as if she had no self-control. If he asked for her body, she would willingly give it to him. Did that make her stupid? Young? In love? She didn't know, but as she watched Edward's smoldering expression falter and grow vulnerable, she suddenly wanted to find out.

"Bella, I'm-"

"No, it's okay. It's fine," she interrupted.

"Are you sure? You don't have to, I just wanted-"

"Take me home, Edward."

He smiled and sighed in relief. "As you wish..."

~(~)~

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**_End Note:_**

_Next chapter will be up December 24th. __A review would be a lovely gift to leave under my tree! ;-)__  
Hugs, Ginnie_**_  
_**


	4. Chapter 4

**_Disclaimer: _**_Still in effect: I do not own the characters of Twilight or Dartmouth University. I do however own the rest of this chapter. Please do not copy or translate. Thank you. :)_

_**Warnings: **This chapter is where we start earning our rating. There is a twist of lemon ahead and, as previously mentioned, Rosalie is a supporting character in this story: Her history includes a sexual assault, so please read with caution if you are sensitive or do not read at all if you are underage. Thx. :)_

_~(~)~  
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**_September 2010-_**

_"Bella... You're so beautiful, love. So... So... So..." Edward trailed kisses down Bella's body slowly. "So, beautiful." _

_ He was unable to continue speaking as his tongue soon began a conversation with a part of her delicate body that he couldn't seem to get enough of. His pace was languid; the heat of his touch lingered on her skin. Whisper soft caresses from his long, graceful fingers amplified other sensations and brought her more pleasure than she'd ever known. _

_ Likewise, even without touching the most obvious parts of his body, Bella had the ability to do things to Edward that nearly threatened his sanity. At the moment, her dainty hands tangled in his hair combined with the sounds of her breathy moans and sent shivers of pleasure running through his entire body. The rise and fall of her chest, the small swivels of her hips, even the small trails that her little, feminine toes left as she teased his calves, fueled his desire. Everything she did propelled him towards a point of ecstasy that would be entirely new to him as well. _

_ Edward sensed it, Bella felt it. There would be no turning back for them tonight. _

_ For weeks, they'd been delaying this moment. From their very first night in his bed, Edward had decided he would not make love to his Bella with the burden of a false-engagement hanging over them. Though he loved her already and belonged to her in every way that mattered, but he wanted to do right by Bella and make love to her when he could say she was the only one on Earth that he was bound to._

_ With that in mind, they'd agreed to wait until after the Thanksgiving holiday to make love. They'd taken their time discovering, exploring, and enjoying each little line and curve of their lover's body. Despite the fact that the simple act of kissing was rousing enough to send them both to the edge of bliss, they'd tried to move forward slowly, to progress from one act of intimacy to the next as unhurriedly as possible. _

_ But not tonight. _

_ Edward abruptly lifted his mouth from where it had been quite busy and climbed up Bella's body, tasting the salt of her skin now and then along the way. He propped himself up on his elbows, hovering over her to look down on her beautiful face. _

_ "I love you, Bella." He kissed her once. "I can't believe how much I love you." _

_ Bella moaned softly and freed her hands to caress his face. "I know. I feel the same way."_

_ Edward lowered his head, nuzzling his nose to Bella's sweetly before trailing a path from her jaw to the spot behind her ear and inhaling deeply. _

_ "I don't want to go, love. I don't want to be apart from you."_

_ Bella's fingers trailed over his shoulder and down the backs of his arms. "Nor I you." She sighed and ran her fingers back up again. "How much longer until we have to leave for the airport?"_

_ Edward answered her sigh and looked at the clock. "Six hours."_

_ Hot tears threatened to fill Bella's eyes. "Thanksgiving sucks."_

_ Edward chuckled and whispered in her ear. "Just this year. Next year will be our first one together and then it will be wonderful. We can stay home and make love all day if you want to."_

_ Bella smiled and looked up at Edward demurely. "Thank you. For this... for tonight... I know you wanted to wait, but-"_

_ "Bella," Edward stopped her with a quick kiss. "You don't have to say anything. I know. I heard you, baby, and I feel the same way." He shifted himself over her then, covering her body with his. "As long as _you _know that there is no one for me but you, and only you... That's all I need."_

_ "Edward, please..." she sighed. _

_ "Tell me, love."_

_ "Please, make love to me."_

_ "Yes," he sighed, his lips pressing against hers lovingly, but with hunger. Passion, adoration, and wanton desire radiated between them as Bella instinctively moved her body in rhythm with their kisses and Edward slid into the cradle she made for him. _

_ "God, yes... Bella, my Bella." _

_ "Edward..."_

"Edward..." A soft voice, Bella's voice, reached into Edward's consciousness.

"Edward, wake up," she called. He wearily lifted his eyelids to find warm chocolate smiling down at him.

"Hey, sleepyhead. You finally got some rest, I see." Bella reached out and ran her fingers through his unruly bronze bedhead. Or chair-head, as it were.

Edward looked around and realized that instead of being in his former bedroom in Hanover, he was propped up in a recliner in the corner of Rosalie's hospital room. His heart was pounding and his breathing unsteady; a combined reaction to both the dream he'd been having only moments ago and his quick recollection of the events of the last twenty-four hours.

"Rough night, huh? I'm sorry if I startled you," Bella said, kneeling next to him.

Edward took a deep breath and smiled wearily at her. "No, no. I'm fine. Just forgot where I was."

Bella nodded. "That happens around here more than you might imagine."

"I bet. Oh, jeez," Edward moaned and whined as he stretched his achy muscles and tried to sit up. It was harder than it should have been since he was trying to hide his current situation. Bella giggled quietly and stood, giving him her hand to help him. He managed to pull himself free of the contraption he'd slept in with her assistance and stood, with his back to her stretching some more.

"How was your night?" Edward finally thought as he rubbed his painfully stiff neck.

"It was long. I'm ready to go home..."

Edward turned his head this way and that, and rolled his shoulders a little. The discomfort in his neck had thankfully distracted him enough to get control of his body. He turned around, still rubbing his sore muscles.

"Um, do you want some help there?" Bella asked, watching him wince.

Edward stopped craning his neck and looked at Bella. He gave Rosalie a cursory glance too and lowered his voice appropriately to avoid disturbing his sister-in-law. "Do you mind?"

"Not at all."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. It's no problem."

Bella stood behind Edward and chuckled. This wasn't going to work with him standing up, thanks to the ten inch difference between them. She led him over to the closet and pulled out a small rolling chair that the doctors used when doing exams.

"Sit."

"Yes, ma'am."

Bella started working on Edward's shoulders first, gently but firmly massaging the tension there away. As soon as she touched him however, she realized what a horrible idea it had been.

Fire-like heat spread from her fingertips through the rest of her body and flashes of bare skin and tangled limbs troubled her memory. The space in her chest where there had once been an all-consuming hole, reminded her painfully of the shattered heart he'd left her with all those years ago. Still, some of the memories were good... _so, so good._

_"Is that good, love?" _

_ Bella hummed a response, unable to form words. She felt boneless, breathless, and was completely at Edward's mercy. He touched her in ways no one else ever had. Ways she wasn't even sure she'd wanted to be touched in theory. In practice, it had turned out to be so much better than she could have possibly imagined. Things had never been like this with Jake. Not that they'd been together much, but maybe that's because it wasn't like this. _

_ "Oh, God..." she moaned as her beautiful boy kissed and caressed his way back up her body stopping to pay attention to her softest curves. She gasped into his mouth when he'd made his way all the way up and she felt him ready for her again. _

_ "Mmmm," Edward moaned pulling away from her lips as she rolled them over and positioned herself above him. "Again? You're sure" he asked, his eyes soft, vulnerable even. _

_ Bella smiled and placed a hand on his cheek. "I'm sure," she answered, her voice full of the love she felt for him. He completed her in every way; she wanted to be one with him for as long as possible before they had to spend an entire week apart. As she took all of him inside her, Edward made a sound that Bella knew she would never tire of hearing. _

_ "Oh, Bella..."_

"Bella?"

"Hmm?"

"I asked if you'd seen my mother this morning? Did she leave?"

Both Edward's concerned voice and talk of his mother jolted Bella out of her bittersweet memories. She held in a sigh.

"Yes, about a half an hour ago. She said to tell you that she'd be back after she collects your brother from the airport."

"You spoke to her? When?

"On her way out."

Edward reached over his shoulder to cover one of Bella's hands with his own. "Thank you."

"It's nothing."

"No, Bella... It's everything. Your being here is everything. I'm more grateful than I can put into words."

"This is what I do. I'm happy I was able to be here for your family."

"Bella... You're amazing at what you do, but that's not what I meant." He removed his hand from hers and spun around on the little chair until they were face to face. He took her hands in his and squeezed gently.

"Thank _you _for being here. For being real. For being so kind to me when I don't deserve your kindness. For-"

Bella smiled halfway and put a finger on Edward's lips to still them. It was an intimate gesture and one she'd done without thinking, and it hurt her inside to see that it was still so natural to touch him as if he still belonged to her. It only served to remind her of what they had lost.

"Please don't. Not here. Not now. I have twenty minutes left in my shift and I need to be able to function. Please, Edward."

"Of course, Bella. I understand and I'm sorry."

Bella shook her head and wiped at her eyes before any tears were able to fall. Biting her lip, she apologized and told Edward she had to go, feeling desperate to get away before she started falling apart.

"Wait..." a groggy voice called out when Bella was just steps from making her escape.

She stopped and then turned slowly, trying to force a hurricane of emotions out of her mind. Plastering on a smile, Bella greeted Rosalie.

"Good morning, Mrs. Cullen. How are you feeling?"

Rosalie shifted a little and blinked slowly. The magnesium sulfate was making it difficult for her to focus and form her words.

"You... Bella... Swan," she said quietly.

Bella smiled at her and glanced down at her hospital badge, she didn't notice right away that her last name was not printed on the plastic card that she wore on duty. "Yes, I'm Bella. I'm your night nurse, do you remember being brought in last night?"

Rosalie shook her head 'no'.

"You don't remember?"

Rosalie scowled, though it barely came across. Bella was sure she'd tried to roll her eyes as well and a small chuckle from where Edward now stood across from her seemed to confirm that theory. Rosalie held up finger and began to form her words.

"No. I meant... that you don't... understand my... ques...tion. You're Edward's... Bella. Bella... Swan... Dartmouth? Yes?"

Bella was shocked and Edward was embarrassed. "Rose..."

"Shhh..." she scolded him. "I'm... talking to... her." The attitude Rosalie gave Edward caused Bella to look between the two of them. She met Edward's apologetic gaze for only a moment.

Rosalie slowly reached for Bella's left hand. She inspected Bella's fingers for a minute or two before speaking again. Her words came a little more fluidly this time.

"Don't... hate him. He saved my life... And he... loves you. Always has."

Bella blushed furiously and dropped her hand from Rosalie's.

"How do you know me?" Bella asked, wanting just one answer before she ran away.

Rosalie sighed. "You're just like... I pictured you. Like he... described. The last time... I was in the hospital... he thought I couldn't hear him. He wouldn't... shut up about... you."

Bella could tell that Rosalie was now exerting herself just to talk. She placed her hand back on top of Rosalie's and patted.

"Mrs. Cullen. You need to rest now. Save your strength for talking to the doctor and your husband when he gets here." Bella glanced at her watch. "Which should be soon."

"Call me Rose... Bella. Thank you."

Bella smiled kindly. "You're welcome, Rose."

She excused herself and within minutes, Rosalie's mother-in-law returned with a huge, darker-haired version of Edward in tow. Bella quickly hid behind a chart when she saw them coming down the hall and then avoided walking past their room again before finishing her shift.

She was on her way out of the hospital when Edward caught up to her.

"Bella!"

She continued walking until she got outside and then slowed to wait for him.

"Hey!" he said, jogging up beside her. "You didn't say goodbye."

Bella jolted almost as if he'd physically hit her, and her feet ground to a halt.

"Neither did you," she answered, her voice low and flat.

"What was that? Look, I'm sorry, Bella. I just don't have your number and I thought we were going to go somewhere and talk today. Ice cream? Was I wrong?"

Bella looked up at him, careful to keep herself numb. She was very aware that they were standing on the street after all.

"Yes. You were wrong. You're the one who left without saying goodbye. You never came back, never explained. You never even tried. I've been fighting with myself over this all night, Edward. I'm just... I can't tell you how it feels to see you again, but..." She shook her head and frowned deeply. "I've tried to think of a million possibilities for what could have happened, and I just can't think of a single thing you could say that would make what you did okay. You broke my heart, and I don't know if I'm willing to let you have a go at it again."

Edward stood motionless, completely stunned by her outburst. The cold look on Bella's face was enough to break him, hearing her words shattered him. Eventually, he thawed.

"I understand, Bella. You're right of course."

Bella sighed and struggled not to cry. "I just need to think about it some more. I'm a nurse at the hospital where your sister-in-law is going be staying for some time. I have to be able to do my job, Edward. I just don't know if I can afford to fall apart when I have to be back here day in and day out."

Edward stepped forward, closer to her, without thinking. "I don't want you to fall apart. I don't want to hurt you, Bella. I'm so, so sorry that I broke your heart. I broke mine too."

Once again, Bella was unable to control herself where Edward was concerned. "Why? Why did you do that, Edward! I don't understand. I never have."

Edward pulled her to him, equally unable to control himself. "I know. Please, please give me a chance to explain. I need to show you something. You need to see, Bella. If you never forgive me, that's okay... but you need to understand, if only to help you let go and move on. Please, love? Just give me fifteen minutes."

Bella nodded into his chest, trying to hide her tears and the hope she knew was in her eyes.

"Okay," she mumbled. "When?"

Edward rubbed her back soothingly. "Give me an hour. I need to go home and get something. It's important."

Bella nodded and pulled away. "Where do you want me to meet you?"

"The bagel place across the street? Would that be alright?"

"Yeah. That's fine."

"Good. Okay... I'll meet you back there in an hour."

Bella decided she had time to go home and take a shower before she met Edward. It seemed better to keep her mind occupied than to obsess over things she couldn't control. An hour and seven minutes later, she finally made her way into Einstein Brothers and found a very nervous looking Edward with wild, slightly damp hair. He sat waiting for her at a small table in the corner.

She smiled and sat down across from him. "Hi."

"Hey. I was worried."

Bella blushed slightly. "I just took too long in the shower."

"And here I thought I was going to be late," he joked, before turning more serious. "Would you like anything? Coffee? Bagel?"

Bella shook her head. "Not right now, thank you. You wanted to show me something. Is that it?" she asked, gesturing to what appeared to be a lean, black scrapbook or portfolio.

Edward took an audible breath. "Yes. I should warn you that some of it isn't very pleasant. And most of it has more to do with Rosalie than anything else, but... Well, here."

He slid the album across the table and turned it for her so that it was facing the right way. She opened it slowly and took a moment to read the dedication on the inside front cover.

_Because sometimes the things we want to forget  
are the things we need to remember.  
You're a hero, Edward.  
Never forget that._

_~Just in case you ever need this, Mom  
_

Bella brushed her finger over the lovingly penned words and took a deep breath. She had a heavy feeling in the pit of her stomach as she turned the page.

A full-color magazine article with Edward's image on it and the title, "Exonerated", stared back at her. Her eyes scanned the first two pages of the article quickly and with each word, her heart beat faster.

"Edward..." Bella gasped.

The next page she turned to held the conclusion of the first article, along with some snapshots of Edward and Rosalie in what was, quite obviously, a hospital. As she flipped through the book slowly, she saw that the pages were filled with more newspaper articles and clippings. The story they told shaking her to her core.

"It happened Saturday after Thanksgiving, the night before I was supposed to fly back to New Hampshire." Edward started telling the story simply because watching Bella silently endure the horror of it was too much for him. Somehow it felt better to tell her than to let her read about it alone.

"We didn't know that her parents had invited my entire family, along with their own extended family, over for Thanksgiving dinner that year. So, when it came out that our engagement was over, things got... chaotic, to say the least. My parents were relieved. Hers were furious. It was a mess and we never really got to talk." He shook his head, a shadow passing over his face. "I wanted to at least make sure she was okay, so I asked her to meet me for coffee. We went to this little place that she'd always been fond of. I guess she'd spent the day shopping nearby and had walked to the coffee shop.

"We only had a fifteen minute conversation. I told her about you, she bragged about her new _boyfriend_..." Edward ground his teeth together. "Then she told me she had to go, she was meeting him later that night for dinner because he'd flown out to surprise her." Bella's eyes filled with tears as Edward continued. "I found her. I'd been sitting in that stupid coffee shop for twenty minutes brooding because I hadn't thought to fly and out and surprise you like her jackass boyfriend did. Then my phone rang..." He sucked in a breath. "She was screaming. Pleading for him to stop. Then there was a loud crack and she went silent."

Edward was quiet for a long time.

"We think she was trying to dial 911. I was on her speed-dial; number 9, because it was my baseball jersey number in high school."

"My God..." Bella's tears were flowing freely. Her heart broke again, but this time it broke for him, for what he'd been through. And for Rosalie...

He smiled weakly. "I found her not far from the coffee house. In the park. I don't even know what made me run that way, but I did. She was... really bad. There was a head injury and she'd been nearly strangled, then there were _other _injuries. Her clothes were..." He shook his head and exhaled heavily.

"I didn't think about the fact that I was alone. I just tried to help her. I covered up her body and tried to stop the bleeding. I called 911. I rode with her in the ambulance and called her parents from the hospital. Then the next day... the police named me as a person of interest in her assault and interrogated me for hours."

Bella gasped and tried to choke out his name, but it came out a whimper. He took her hand and held it tightly in his.

"We had to get a lawyer, I wasn't allowed to talk to anybody outside of my family, and I couldn't leave the state until I was cleared. The DNA that they got from her rape kit eventually exonerated me, but it took almost _two months _to get it back. Rose couldn't defend me because she in a coma for the first two weeks and then when she first woke up, she couldn't remember anything about her attack for a long time. So, it was January before I was allowed to go anywhere or talk to anyone. To top it all off, I'd left my cell phone at the scene where Rose was attacked and it was collected as evidence. I lost all my phone numbers, including yours."

"Oh, Edward," Bella whispered. "I had no idea."

Edward smiled weakly. "I used the internet to find the phone number of your sorority house, but of course by the time I did it was spring and you'd graduated. The school wouldn't give me your information, so I tried, and failed, to get your parents' number in Washington myself. I eventually got ahold of Angela and she refused to give me any information because she hated me by then for hurting you."

"You spoke to Angela? When?"

Edward chuckled. "In January, and February, and March... you get the idea. She finally caved in March, but she told me not to call you unless I was one-hundred percent certain that I could fix this."

Bella rolled up the napkin she'd been tearing at and threw at Edward. "And you listened to her? You should have called me anyway!"

Edward moved his chair around the table to sit next to her. "I did, Bella. I called. Your dad answered the phone. He asked for my name and I gave it to him, and then he said he'd tell you I called. But I never heard back from you. When I called back, he told me never to call there again. I assumed you didn't want to speak to me."

Bella's brow wrinkled and the little 'V' that Edward loved so much made a predictable appearance.

"I don't understand... my father never told me you called."

"I wondered about that. I sent a letter as well, but it came back marked 'return to sender'."

"When?"

"About a year after I'd last seen you."

"I moved out and got an apartment around that time. But my dad should have forwarded my mail, not sent it back."

Edward sighed. "Perhaps he didn't want me contacting you?"

"I can't believe that..." she frowned. "I was devastated when you left. I moped around for months after I came home from Dartmouth. Why would he have kept this from me?"

"Bella, you're his daughter. Maybe he was trying to protect you. The only thing that matters to me now is that you understand that I really did make an attempt to get in touch with you. I wanted to find you."

Bella nodded and wiped her eyes, feeling as though this was partially her fault too. The entire burden shouldn't have fallen on him. She should have had more faith in Edward's feelings for her. She should have fought harder to find him and get an explanation.

"Edward, I called your parents' house. That first week of December after you left. I called to make sure that you were still alive, that something hadn't happened to you. I guess it had."

"You did?"

"I understand now why they wouldn't tell me where you were or talk to me about what was going on. At the time though, hearing that you were alive and well, but just not coming back... Well, it broke something inside me. The small part of me that has a self-esteem problem thought that maybe you'd gotten what you wanted and were done with me. A slightly bigger part of me wondered if maybe you'd changed your mind about Rosalie."

"Bella..."

"No, wait... Hear me out. Because you should know that the largest part of me, my heart, knew that something was wrong. I was just too insecure and afraid to bother finding out. I didn't try. I thought it was better not to know anything, than to know everything and find out that you just didn't want me anymore."

Edward pushed back from the table slightly and pulled Bella into his lap. She turned to wrap her arms around his neck, as he held her to him tightly.

"Bella... I've always wanted you. From the moment I first saw you. That hasn't changed and it never will."

"Edward," Bella responded with a sob, pulling Edward as close to her heart as she could. Her arms were a near stranglehold on his neck, but he couldn't be made to care. Her ragged breathing matched his own, as did her tears. Edward tried like hell to be a man and stop himself from crying, but the broken, beautiful girl in his arms had him overwhelmed and undone.

Bella couldn't keep from making guilty platitudes; she believed that she would never be able to forgive herself for not trying harder eight years ago. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry... I wasn't there and I should have been... You needed the people who loved you... and I was in New Hampshire feeling sorry for myself."

"Shhh... Bella. It wasn't your fault. You didn't know. I can blame myself too, but it doesn't change what happened. All we can do is try to move past it. We can start over again."

Edward comforted Bella, rubbing her back and whispering in her ear until she had regained some of her composure. Neither of them felt any concern at all that their conversation had gained a few wary glances from the other patrons.

Bella eventually sat up and leaned back enough to look at Edward through wet eyelashes. He smiled at her and slid a hand into her hair at the base of her neck, massaging gently.

"Would you possibly be able to forgive the past, Bella, and move on? Could we start over again?"

Bella smiled and lowered her forehead to Edward's. "No. I don't want to start over with you again."

Edward's heart dropped into his stomach. He lifted his head to look at Bella fully and frowned.

"I don't understand, I thought-"

"Edward... we had a good start. The timing was all off, but we don't need another one. I'd rather pick up where we left off."

Edward's frown twisted into a look of confusion and even mild annoyance. Suddenly, the only thing that came to mind was his dream from the previous night and he was certain that Bella couldn't have meant that. He had to ask her for some guidance as a result.

"What does that mean?"

Bella giggled at his befuddled face and ran her hands through his hair before resting them at the nape of his neck.

"Edward, I never stopped loving you. Not in eight years. We have a lot we need to talk about, and a lot more to learn about each other, but I don't know anyone in a committed relationship that doesn't have to do those things."

"Relationship?" Edward asked, breaking into a silly grin.

Bella blushed and smiled back, biting on her lip a bit. When she spoke there was a distinctively seductive undertone in her words.

"Yeah, well...I don't want to waste any more time. I'd much rather make up for the time we lost."

Edward sighed and pulled Bella's mouth to his. It was as if the last eight years had never passed. As if they had never separated. Yet, because it had actually been eight years since Bella and Edward were last able to taste, touch, and feel, there was a desperation to their kiss that was almost painful. And quite inappropriate for Einstein Brothers Bagels.

A not-so-subtle cough somehow managed to break into their bubble and the reunited lovers parted, breathing roughly and flushed.

"I guess we should go," Edward suggested, wondering if he would be able to walk out the door without making a spectacle of himself at this point. He lifted Bella from his lap carefully, so as to not make his predicament worse.

Bella took a deep breath and stood, straightening her clothing and hair as inconspicuously as possible. However, when she looked down and saw Edward doing the exact same thing, she burst into laughter. Edward glanced up, raising an eyebrow and chuckling.

"Definitely time to go," Bella said through her giggles. "I'm not sure I'll be able to show my face in here ever again."

Edward stood and stepped towards her.

"You think?"

Bella flushed further, if that were possible. "Definitely not."

"Well, in that case..." Edward quipped, and then kissed her again.

~(~)~

* * *

_**End Notes:**_

_Whew... my cheeks are a little warm now. I'm a little nervous to put this out there, but I hope you enjoyed it. More to come, so please leave me some love. _

_The next chapter will be up in three days. _

_PS- Merry Christmas! Hugs, Ginnie  
_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Disclaimer: **__Still in effect: I do not own the characters of Twilight. I do however own the rest of this chapter. Please do not copy or translate. Thank you. :)_

_**Warnings: **__This chapter earns the rating - big time! Once again, I'm more than a little nervous about it so please be kind and be good- if you are too young to read this, then don't. ;-) Thx!_

_Additionally, this is a work of fiction so some artistic license has been taken with certain facts surrounding hospital policy and Rosalie's condition. Happy Reading!  
_

~(~)~

* * *

_**November 2010-**_

"I don't know how Emmett can stand to do this five nights a week," Edward whispered while stretching his painfully sore muscles.

"Well, I can tell you with some certainty that Emmett doesn't sleep in that chair when he's here. Have you noticed that Rosalie's bed is a bit larger than it used to be?" Bella whispered in response.

Edward continued trying to relax the knots in his neck while he inspected the bed. "Huh... I guess it does look a little bigger. How did he manage that?"

Bella shrugged, but a quick-lift of her eyebrows gave her away. Edward smiled and stood, pulling her to him as he did.

"Did you do that for them?" he asked, brushing his lips against her forehead. He definitely needed to brush his teeth this morning before he got any closer to Bella than that.

"I may have absconded one of the deluxe size LDR beds from downstairs," Bella said, nonchalantly.

Edward chuckled. "How ever did you get it up here without being seen? And what's an LDR bed?"

"LDR stands for labor-delivery-recovery. And I wasn't exactly incognito getting it up here. Let's just say that your parents were very helpful."

"My parents?" Edward asked surprised.

"Oh, yes. Your father had the staff eating out of his palm downstairs. It would seem that crooked smile of yours is hereditary," Bella smirked.

"Oh, really?" Edward flashed the grin in question at Bella.

She laughed a little too loudly and Edward hastily shushed her with his lips. Apparently, toothpaste could wait.

She sighed into his kiss and reached up to wrap her arms around his neck at the same time he slid his hands around her waist. His fingers brushed the skin just under her navy blue scrub top and they moaned softly together as the kiss deepened.

"Uhh, gross, you guys..." Rosalie's cranky, but quiet voice called out from behind them.

Bella and Edward pulled away from each other quickly and put a respectable distance between them. Edward busied himself with finding his shoes and gathering his belongings, while Bella ignored the fact that her cheeks were most likely fuchsia. She slipped into nurse mode and went about caring for her patient.

"How are you feeling this morning, Rosalie?" she asked, while checking Rose's IV bags and then the fetal monitor.

"Well, I'm feeling pretty nauseated as a matter of fact." She quirked an eyebrow at Bella and tried to look irritated, but the magnesium she was receiving once again through her IV made it hard for her control the finer details of that particular expression.

Bella scanned the fetal monitor and the readout of the last few hours of Rosalie's contractions. They had started up again yesterday.

"Listen, I get it. Edward and I gross you out. But do _not _screw around with me about your symptoms, Rosalie Lillian." Bella used the bitch brow Rose had been making her work on. "Now... are you nauseated?"

"No," Rosalie answered Bella with a slight smile and then flashed her own more serious and well-practiced bitch brow.

"Good. Thank you," Bella answered, rolling her eyes. Edward chuckled from across the room.

Rosalie scowled at him and turned back to Bella. "You two had better get your own room, though. I don't want to see that nastiness again, or I'm reporting your asses for some kind of harassment."

"Ha!" Edward chimed in. "After what you and Emmett put me through a few years ago, you have zero room to talk."

Bella laughed quietly and finished up with Rosalie's vitals. "The doctor will be in soon, he's next door right now. Congratulations, by the way."

"For what?" Rosalie asked her, confused.

"You're 35 weeks today. You made it a lot longer than anyone around here anticipated."

Rosalie smiled and rubbed her swollen belly affectionately. "Thank the Lord."

Bella patted Rosalie's shoulder. "I'll come say goodbye before I go home, but I'm out of here for the day. You good?"

"Yeah, just take Romeo with you when you go," Rose quipped.

Bella laughed and looked over at Edward with a smile. "Oh... I plan to."

Rosalie threw one of her pillows at Bella. "Eww! Bella!"

Bella and Edward both began to chuckle and after a very brief, G-rated peck goodbye, Bella left to go finish her shift while Edward freshened up and waited for his brother.

Almost as soon as Emmett showed his face, Bella and Edward left the hospital hand in hand.

"So... coffee? Breakfast?" Edward asked, swinging their hands between them. This question had become their routine following the one or two nights a week that Edward volunteered to stay at the hospital with Rosalie. He did it on the pretense of allowing Emmett to get a full night's rest in his own bed and a real shower. Of course, that was just the official reason. After all, Bella was Rose's favorite nurse these days.

"No coffee. I need sleep. So... maybe we could pick-up some bagels and take them home?" Bella asked, making Edward smile. The bagel place was now a happy memory for him.

"Are we showing our faces in there again?" he asked, teasing.

Bella flushed. "Maybe... Or maybe you could run in and I can wait in the car."

"Oh, really? Why me and not you?"

"Well, you'll just flash that dazzling smile and everyone in there will forget their own name, let alone anything that happened three weeks ago."

Edward laughed loudly and leaned down to kiss Bella's temple. "It was five weeks ago, and I'm afraid you're the only one I have that effect on."

It was Bella's turn to laugh now. "I have no quirky comeback for that, but you obviously don't see yourself very clearly."

Edward ignored that comment.

"So... bagels, then home. Are we talking 'home' as in your place? Or 'home' as in my place?"

Bella sighed. Because of her rotating schedule of night shifts, and Edward's traditional nine to five work week, they had yet to stay a full day or night together. It never really mattered where they ended up, because invariably one of them would have to go home shortly. Bella figured it was too soon to be thinking this way, but she couldn't wait until they lived under the same roof and shared the same bed every day and night.

Edward noticed Bella's sad face and guessed what she might be thinking about. It was likely the same thing that had been on his mind a lot in the last week or so. After an eight year separation, and five weeks of juggling conflicting schedules, it seemed as though they were both more than ready for both the time and space to be together.

As it had always been with them, their connection was still intensely emotional. They didn't just like each other, or care for each other; it was like they could _feel _each other from the inside out. He had always sworn he could instinctively pick out when Bella was near, and was surprised to hear her admit to feeling the same way. She also teased that at times Edward could read her mind, and there were moments when he felt the same thing from her. She _knew_ him. He _knew_ her.

Unfortunately, thanks to the rigors of real life and the stress his family was under with Rosalie being in the hospital, they just hadn't had the time to know each other in the biblical sense.

Physically, Edward and Bella were like two live wires that caused sparks to fly in every direction when they got too close. He wanted her even more now than he did eight years ago, and in every way possible. In fact, a good deal of his waking moments these days were spent pondering just how much more he hungered for the woman he loved. He had concluded at some point that the pain of their separation had brought to light how very singular and amazing what he shared with Bella was. For that reason, he'd been careful to make sure they took their time getting to know one another again before becoming intimate. Bella was too precious to him to risk screwing this up.

And yet, like Bella, he had a maddening desire to make up for lost time.

Looking into the slightly pouting face of his beloved, Edward assumed these very things were on her mind as well and somehow he knew that she'd forgotten what day it was.

"Bella? It's Saturday, love."

Bella's eyes lit up a bit at this news. "Saturday? Already?"

"Yeah," he chuckled.

"That means I have the next three nights off and you don't have to work until Monday morning. Doesn't it?"

"Yes, it does. Finally." It was the first time since they'd reconnected that their days off had lined up that way.

"So, we actually have the next two days to do whatever we want to do together?"

"Yes we do."

Bella smiled a slightly sinful smile and pressed her teeth into her bottom lip, thinking. "Do you still want to... _stay _together?"

Edward stopped where they were on the sidewalk and took Bella in his arms. "Do you really have to ask?"

She shrugged and looked down, blushing. Edward felt a rush of desire and affection for her and lifted her eyes to his.

"Isabella Swan, I want us to stay together for the next forty-eight years... the next forty-eight hours are just the beginning."

Bella gasped, both delighted and yet shocked by his declaration.

Edward kissed her tenderly and she moaned at the seductive sound he made when their tongues touched. She leaned into his embrace even as he pulled away from her mouth.

"Tell me what you want, Bella," Edward prodded, moving to nuzzle the soft skin below her ear as he spoke.

Bella shuddered against him and answered breathlessly.

"Take me home, Edward."

"As you wish..."

Speaking the words that he'd spoken to her years before, he swept her into his arms and passed right by the bagel shop on his way to the car. Neither of them gave breakfast a second thought.

Twenty-five minutes later, sweaty and spent, Bella and Edward were draped across each other and quite literally tangled up in her sheets. Edward moved his arm from over his eyes and took in the sight of his still breathless lover lying on his chest. She seemed to sense his gaze and lifted her head to look at him.

"That was not how at all how I planned to make love to you for the first time," he said lowly, his voice still husky. He tucked a wayward strand of her long hair behind her ear. "Can you forgive me?"

Her eyes widened and she allowed her mouth to drop open in a show of incredulity. "You're not serious?"

His eyes told her that he was.

"Edward..." she soothed him. "_That_ was amazing."

He smiled shyly and cupped her face, stroking her cheekbone with his thumb. "It was more than amazing. I just hope you don't think it was too... fast."

Bella sighed and leaned into his hand. "It was perfect, and technically it wasn't our first time," she reminded him.

"True, but I really would have liked to have done this right. Romance you a little... go slow... take my time... actually get to the bed before ripping your clothes off..."

Bella giggled and ducked her head. She enjoyed the deep vibration of Edward's chest as he laughed quietly with her. They had been a little frantic.

Bella was fairly sure her bra had landed on a lamp in the living room and she knew for certain that both of their shirts had ended up in a heap near the entryway just moments before that. Edward's pants, she mused, were somewhere in the hallway and hers just inside the bedroom door. Only then had he insisted in getting to the bed before going any further.

"Ever the gentleman... _my_ gentleman," she growled playfully and kissed his chest once before moving a little lower. The action earned an appreciative sigh from him. She laid her head down and breathed deeply of his scent before speaking further. "You've been taking your time with me since the day we met. I know that you love me and I love you; probably more than any sane person should. And as long as we've waited?" She paused thoughtfully. "I think we were lucky we made it in the front door."

Edward chuckled again and moved his arms around Bella to pull her up next to him. As much as he liked having her on top of him, he wanted to see her beautiful face. Staring into her expressive eyes, he saw how contented she was and it did a lot to relieve his concern.

"If you're happy, then I'm happy too. But next time..."

Edward never finished his statement, but instead kissed Bella long and slow and sweet to illustrate his point. Feeling the almost instant reawakening of his passion for her, he pulled away before things became too heated. He knew she had to be exhausted after her night shift and their morning... _activities._

Of course Bella was fairly tired, but she was also quite blissful and definitely in the mood for more. The kiss he'd just given her had been far too good and way too enticing to ignore. Just one reason why she wasn't thrilled when he pulled away from her almost entirely.

Edward saw her frown and watched on in amusement and even a little pride as her face turned into a full-blown pout. It amazed him that he made her look like that; like someone had taken away her favorite toy, or more aptly, her favorite dessert.

"Have I made you unhappy?" he asked with a smile.

She met his eyes and smiled back. "No, not really. You have made me a bit curious though."

"About what, my love?"

Bella smiled wider. She loved it when he called her that.

"I guess I was curious about what you said earlier. About this not being how you planned?"

Edward raised an eyebrow and waited for her to finish.

"I was just wondering what exactly you _were_ planning?"

He just smiled crookedly and shook his head. "Uh-unh."

"You're not going to tell me?" Bella asked, quickly going back into full pout mode.

"No," he laughed, kissing her nose.

"Why?" she huffed, squirming in his arms.

"Oh, stop," he said, pulling her closer to him and lowering his head as though he were going to kiss her. "I'm not going to tell you," he whispered seductively. "...because I'd much rather show you."

Bella immediately felt a deep yearning tickling her gut that spread rapidly to full-on butterflies. "Oh."

Edward kissed her again slowly. Their lips parted and their tongues met, just barely dancing together. He chuckled at the astonished look on her face when he pulled away just as it was getting really good again. "Not now, love. You need to get some sleep first."

"What?" she asked, disbelieving.

"Well... you've been up all night."

"I'm fine."

Edward smiled and pulled her closer still. "You are that..." he agreed before kissing her once, then twice. "But you'll need your energy if I'm going to go through with any of those plans."

Bella's body erupted in shivers. "How am I supposed to sleep when you say things like that?"

"Just try," Edward said kissing her forehead and rolling her until her back was to his chest. He tangled their legs together and wrapped her in his strong arms, loving the way she fit him so completely.

Bella sighed in surrender and curled up with him, holding his arms in place with her own. Edward hummed to her lightly and nuzzled his nose gently in her hair. It took no time at all for her to start feeling the effects of both the enthusiastic love-making they'd shared and the twelve hour shift she'd worked last night.

"You're staying, right?" Bella asked just as her eyelids started to flutter.

"Until you're fast asleep," he promised. "I do have one or two things I would like to take care of before you get up this evening though."

"Like what?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

Bella would have rolled her eyes had they been open, but instead she smiled and grew quiet imagining what he might have up his sleeve. Her breathing evened out as Edward continued to hum to her and hold her securely. She snuggled against him and inadvertently rubbed her backside against his groin, causing both of them to moan lightly. It was obvious how aroused Edward still was despite his insistence that she get some rest; a fact which made Bella's pulse quicken considerably. She was no longer sleepy as she squeezed his arms more tightly around her and slid one of his hands to her breast. They moaned together as Edward cupped her soft flesh in his hand gently and Bella immediately pushed back against him once more.

"Bella..." he sighed and rocked with her, unable to help himself. The rough quality of his voice ignited Bella's desire and she encouraged Edward's hands to wander.

Despite his earlier protests, he allowed her to lead him with intertwined fingers as she moved their hands together to where she wanted them the most. Her sensitive skin reacted to his touch and sent shivers over Bella's entire body. Once she was convinced he would continue of his own volition, she reached behind her and slid one hand over Edward's hip pulling him closer to her, rocking back into him.

Whispers of adoration and groans of pleasure formed the music for their dance. The tempo as they moved was languid and unhurried; the complete opposite of their earlier coupling. As a result, it was also much more passionate and indulgent.

Long minutes passed with nothing more than gentle rocking and quiet breathing. Two pairs of hands caressed every inch they could reach until a small shift of Edward's hips caused him to slide easily towards her entrance. Bella made a slight adjustment and then looked back over her shoulder to seek her beloved's lips. As their mouths opened to each other in a slow, sultry kiss, their bodies joined together as one for the second time.

When it became too much for Bella to continue twisting her neck to reach him, Edward let her mouth go and began a trail of fiery hot kisses over her shoulder and down her back as he moved inside her. Bella kept hold of him by tangling the fingers of her free hand in his hair, while the other hand remained intertwined with his long lean fingers on her breast.

Their pace increased steadily while he rocked in and out of her. Their soft exclamations rose in volume as their skin began to moisten and taste of salt. Groans became more frequent as muscles within tightened. Edward gripped her hip and Bella pulled at his hair.

"God, oh God... Edward."

"Mmmm... Bella, so good... Too good... Baby, God... it's too good." He pulled her closer.

"Love you. Please don't stop. Need you."

"Need you too. Oh, God..."

Edward pulled back suddenly and withdrew from Bella's body with no warning. She nearly cried out from the loss of him, but suddenly found her mouth very busy as he turned her in his arms and shifted her so that she was beneath him.

His hands went to her face as he pulled back to gaze into her eyes. The love and reverence they held for one another was obvious. She was often disbelieving of the way he looked at her, and he was often stunned at the way she looked at him. Time seemed to pause for them in their attempt to grasp what they had here together. They never had more than they did when there was absolutely nothing between them.

Quite suddenly, Bella began to cry tears of joy and overwhelming love for this man –the one great "what-if" of her life. Edward swallowed down the lump in his own throat with force and lowered his head to kiss away her tears. Slowly, after he'd erased each and every one, he brought his mouth back to hers and kissed her as if it was the very first time.

And just like the first time, the heat and passion between them exploded. Tentative caresses led to small sweeps of the tongue. The taste of one another sent them both reeling and wanting for more. Give and take, push and pull, call and answer; their kisses were a prelude of things to come.

Bella's hands left Edward's face and slid over his skin. She gripped his shoulders and then ran her fingers down the muscles of his back. She caressed his hips with her thumbs and gripped his backside tightly before trailing her hands up slowly again. Repeating her circuit drove him to the brink and Edward knew he wouldn't be able to wait much longer to join himself with her again.

Taking Bella's hands in his own, he slid them up above her head before rocking against her just once. She moaned loudly and lifted her hips upwards in encouragement but he'd already moved out of reach.

"So beautiful..." he whispered. "So beautiful, Bella. I love you so much."

Edward let go of her hands and moved down her body, kissing her skin as he went, tasting her as he pleased. His hands teased and tickled as they slid up and down her sides before settling at her ribs and stroking the underside of her breasts. Using his tongue to adore each of her perfect breasts, he took special care to lavish their most sensitive peaks with pleasure and bring her to a higher state of arousal.

"Oh, God... I love you too," Bella moaned. Her fingers had found their way back into his hair and she arched her body, urging him on.

Several minutes passed while Edward slowly, almost tortuously, explored Bella's body with his mouth. He loved tasting her and hearing her respond to him. Again, the memories of their first time together came back to him with such clarity and he was thankful beyond belief that he had this opportunity again. He never thought he'd ever see Bella again, let alone be lying in her bed making love to her with his mouth while she writhed and cried out in ecstasy.

"Edward... please... please," she begged.

He smiled and lifted his lips from her, slowly flicking his tongue out once or twice more before lifting himself up. As soon as he was within reach, Bella grabbed his face and pulled him up towards her at the same time she angled her hips just right for him to slide home.

They made love passionately, with open eyes, tender kisses, and whispered adorations. Edward moved within her as Bella rose up to meet him. With each breath the intensity grew and he knew then, as he always had, that she was his whole future. She was his life, his wife, and someday the mother of his children.

He hadn't realized he'd said that out loud until Bella was answering him and then suddenly shattering around him.

"Yes, Edward. Yes!"

"Yes?" he questioned, panting the word even as he rocked harder against her. He wasn't sure if she was just crying out in passion or answering his second inadvertent proposal of the day. God, what timing he had.

Fortunately for him, Bella realized what was going through his head even in the midst of her orgasm and opened her eyes to find his and make sure he understood. "God, yes, Edward... I'll be your wife... You're my... life... too..." she panted.

"Oh, shit! Bella..!" While crying out as he fell over the edge of pleasure, somewhere at the back of Edward's mind there was a small voice that told him it wasn't nice to swear at the love of your existence at a moment like this.

Unable to explain himself, he could only hope that Bella would understand that the timing of her words, when combined with the physical pleasure she was bringing him, caused him to lose any and all control over what came out of his mouth. It was the most powerful climax he'd ever experienced and was pleased to come back to his senses to find Bella still quaking and throbbing around him. More than that, her whispered "I love you's" made him warm in a way that had nothing to do with sex.

She'd said yes.

He sighed and lifted a trembling hand to touch her face tenderly. "I love you too, baby. God, I love you."

Bella sighed and pushed his hair back off of his forehead. "Forever."

"Forever," he agreed and kissed her again.

~(~)~

Just after the sun peaked in the daytime sky, Edward slipped out from under a heavily sleeping Bella's arms and wrapped the sheets and blankets around her to keep her warm. He kissed her cheek before padding off to find his discarded clothes and re-dressed quickly before picking up some of the mess they'd made getting to her bedroom earlier that morning.

Once he had things righted in the foyer and living room, Edward returned to Bella's bedroom, carrying her scrubs and undergarments with the intent to put them in her hamper. He found it quickly and was about to leave again when he heard Bella roll over and breathe his name.

Thinking he'd woken her, he turned back to apologize but was surprised to find her sleeping soundly. A small smile formed on her otherwise peaceful face taking Edward's breath away. He stood there for a while marveling at the way she sent his heart racing even in her sleep. After a few minutes, he decided he couldn't wait any longer to run his errands and wrote a quick note for Bella before he left.

Several hours later, feeling all too warm and somewhat disoriented in her queen sized bed, Bella woke up alone in the darkened room. She threw her covers off immediately and stretched. Though she'd been hoping to come in contact with warm flesh or soft hair, she wasn't entirely surprised when it wasn't there. Rolling over to hug the pillow next to her, she smiled and inhaled.

_Edward..._

Her entire bed smelled like him and it made her stomach flutter with memories of why that was. They'd finally made love again. Not just once, but twice. As if that weren't glorious enough, he wanted her to be his wife. He wanted to have children with her.

Bella's smile grew until it was wide and silly, and she flopped onto her back only to kick her legs and pull her pillow over her face to let out a little squeal. Nearly panting, she moved the pillow away from her face and sat up quickly to see what time it was. She wanted to call Edward right away and let him know she was awake. Then she needed to get cleaned up because she really couldn't wait to spend the whole weekend with him starting right this second and if he wanted to spend it at his place, then she needed to pack as well.

She looked at her nightstand and saw that there was something blocking the display. Opening the small piece of note paper, Bella sighed and looked at the time. Edward's note said he wouldn't be long. It was nearly seven o'clock in the evening, so he'd either stayed with her nearly all day while she slept or he was taking longer than he planned.

And that's when she heard it.

A muted clanking sound coming through the door along with a low curse. A moment later she heard his voice again more clearly. "Dang it. Shhh... Oh, shoot."

Bella giggled and then covered her mouth, listening closely. Her breathing was the loudest sound in the room, but slowly she caught the faint sounds of some sort of music and more muffled clinking.

_Was Edward cooking?_

Bella scrunched her nose up in amusement and giggled again. She was torn between rushing right out to find out what he was up to and making herself presentable first. Physiology won out in the end, and once Bella was in the en-suite bathroom she decided to go ahead and take care of all of her personal needs. After quickly showering, shaving, taking her pill and brushing her teeth, she finally emerged from her bedroom feeling more human.

She padded down the hallway silently and her suspicion that Edward was cooking was confirmed by the incredible aromas that immediately met her. There was also a decidedly floral scent present and when she saw the source of it, she gasped.

Roses. Roses of almost every color imaginable, on almost every surface imaginable.

Bella turned slowly, her hands drawn to her mouth and her eyes drawn every which way. There had to be hundreds of them. Dozens of roses stood in huge glass vases on the floor, large arrangements poured out of tall vases on the end tables and smaller groupings sat in simple bowls scattered on the coffee table and mantle. There were loose flowers here and there as well and petals scattered around the floor and on the small dining table she'd purchased only a few months ago. Amongst the varying shades of red, yellow, peach, white and pink throughout the room, the table itself had been transformed, adorned with more flowers and candles in addition to the dinnerware, linen napkins and wine goblets that Bella knew were not her own.

Having heard her coming, Edward stood silently watching his love from the doorway of the kitchen. He was truly nervous for the first time since he'd hastily began executing his plans this afternoon. When he'd called his cousin in a state of utter panic this afternoon, he'd been absolutely desperate for her connections and expertise. Alice had gone above and beyond to help him pull everything together on such short notice, but he hadn't had any time until now to contemplate just how his gesture would be received. Unable to interpret Bella's reaction with her face still hidden to him, he shifted uncomfortably as she walked towards the table. Finally, she dropped her hands to touch one of the wine glasses Alice had given him and the look of awe etched in her features immediately quelled the majority of his anxiety.

Nevertheless when her brown eyes, watery with emotion and wide with surprise, met his; for once Edward was the one with pink cheeks.

"Hi," he said nervously at the same time she muttered a bewildered, "How?"

He chuckled and walked towards her slowly as she turned around to inspect her apartment again. As soon as he reached her, he wrapped his hands around her waist tenderly and pulled her against his chest.

"Surprise," he said, leaning down to whisper close to her ear.

Bella inhaled sharply and leaned back against him. "Edward..." she sighed even as her heart continued racing in her chest and a small smile took over her face. "What is all this?" she asked, reluctant to try and interpret the meaning behind the display. She assumed it had a lot to do with the things he'd confessed while they were in bed, but she wasn't about to be the one to bring it up.

"Do you like it?" Edward asked, seeing the thoughts racing behind Bella's eyes. "I know roses aren't your absolute favorite, but they were all that was available on short notice."

"There are so many of them..."

"I bought one for every week we were apart, give or take."

Bella gasped again and the calculations appeared in her head unbidden. Fifty-two weeks in a year. Nearly eight years. Unwilling to think too long on how much over four hundred roses would cost, she settled for a simple truth. "They're incredible, Edward."

Edward closed his eyes, flooded with relief her words. "Like you. Like my life now that I have you back."

Bella shook her head. "I can't believe you did all this just since this morning."

"You deserve it. Well, you deserve more than this really. This is the least I could do for you."

Bella smiled and turned in his arms. "You do enough simply by breathing."

"I breathe for you alone. You're my life now, Bella."

Bella inhaled sharply. She'd never really considered herself the sentimental sort in the past, but when Edward spoke to her the way that he did she was stripped of all pretenses and unable to hide the enormity of what she felt for him. Refusing to surrender to tears like she had earlier this morning, she instead kissed him and poured all of her emotional excesses into it.

"Wow," Edward whispered against her lips when they parted. Bella smiled remembering how she'd said the same thing after their first kiss so many years ago. It was still like that for them and she wondered if it always would be. Would they still experience that rush in another eight years? Would they still be together then? God, she hoped so. Her heart clenched painfully at just the thought of losing Edward again.

"What's wrong?" he asked, seeing the shadow pass over Bella's face.

"Nothing," she answered quickly, shaking her head and glancing around to remind herself just how much he loved her now. She also quickly remembered the things he'd said while they made love and felt her heart quicken. For some reason, her stomach chose that moment to remind her just how rigorous their morning together had been and that she was, in fact, famished.

Edward chuckled. "Hungry, love?"

Her blush was immediate. "Um, yeah... a little."

"Well, let's see if we can do something about that," he said, taking her hand and leading her into the kitchen. He handed her a basket of bread and winked at her as he put on some oven-mitts and then pulled two plates out of the oven. "Everything else is on the table."

"Okay," Bella smiled, following him back to the dining room with butterflies in her stomach. He really hadn't been kidding about the plans that he mentioned in passing this morning, had he?

"Has the food been ready long?" Bella asked when they were both seated and wine had been poured. She noticed it was her new favorite, a white wine from Europe that they had discovered together at a nearby restaurant the night of their second official "first date".

"No," Edward answered. "I was just about to come wake you when I heard the shower turn on. You have perfect timing."

Bella smiled. "For once."

Edward lifted his wine glass. "Your timing is always impeccable. I'm the one that needs a little work." Bella began to argue when Edward toasted her. "To you, my love."

Bella's argument was forgotten as she lifted her own glass. "To us," she corrected him with a smile.

They ate after that and Bella thoroughly enjoyed everything that Edward had made for her. He admitted it was the only thing he really knew how to cook and that were it not for "steam in the bag" vegetables and frozen garlic bread, they would be eating just the pasta. She graciously reminded him that he made the salad too, to which he replied that it was already pre-washed and ready to go.

"You're being too modest. I suppose if I ask you about the flowers you'll refuse to take credit for those as well. Don't tell me you didn't have to go to at least a few florists to make this happen."

Edward nodded his head. "I probably would have spent my whole day doing just that if it hadn't been for my cousin." Bella raised a questioning eyebrow, so he continued. "She works in the industry and put me in touch with her wholesaler as soon as I called her."

Bella smiled, but was not to be dissuaded. "But once you had them, who got them all up here?"

Edward smiled crookedly but said nothing while Bella just laughed at his bashful side.

A few minutes passed and when it was obvious they were both finished eating, Edward cleared the dishes. Bella stayed at the table as ordered and finished her wine. Before returning to her, Edward changed the music and a song they'd made love to once many years ago filled the air.

"Dance with me?" he asked, leaning over her and sweeping her long wavy hair from her neck to place a kiss there.

Bella whimpered and felt the warmth of his voice like a caress in the most intimate of places. She didn't really dance, but could not refuse him this night.

"You know I can't dance," she warned him as she stood.

"You know I don't care," he reminded her as he pulled her close.

Soon they were swaying to the soft rhythm and sultry voice that filled the room along with the sound of their breathing. Edward held Bella to him as though he would never let her go. She, of course, did not know that was indeed what he was thinking as the song played and their bodies moved as one.

Before the last note rang out, he leaned down and touched his lips to hers in a way that could only be described as reverent. Bella was too swept away to notice the way he trembled slightly as he pulled away. Her eyes remained closed as she breathed him in and he smiled down at her knowing it was time.

"Dessert?" he murmured in her ear.

"Huh?" Bella asked, her eyes fluttering open.

"I bought something special for dessert tonight," he clarified.

"Oh," she answered, a little puzzled.

"I'll be right back," he said, kissing her cheek. "Just wait right here."

Bella looked at him curiously but smiled. "Okay," she agreed and sat down on the sofa.

It wasn't until after he'd disappeared into the kitchen and she looked around at all the flowers that she began to get suspicious of his behavior. Buying a girl over four hundred roses seemed a bit extravagant even for a weekend of lovemaking, didn't it? She was relieved when he returned to her side with two simple enough looking ice cream sundaes in hand.

"Ice cream?" Bella asked with a smile.

"Of course. It's our thing," Edward answered, sitting next to her and handing her the tulip shaped sundae glass filled with what looked like cookie-dough ice cream and hot fudge complete with whipped cream and a cherry on top. It wasn't lost on her that it was what she'd ordered almost every time they'd gone out for ice cream with Angela all those years ago.

Bella smiled and thanked him before taking a small bite. Truth be told, she wasn't really all that hungry after the wonderful dinner they'd had but Edward was watching her with peculiar interest, so she indulged him.

"Aren't you going to eat yours?" she asked him after a moment or two.

"Yeah," he grinned. "I was just enjoying watching you."

Bella laughed. "I noticed."

"Sorry," he said quietly, looking down.

Bella took another small bite of her sundae and wondered why he seemed bothered by that. She licked her spoon clean methodically while she watched Edward with his own confection. It took her a moment to realize that there was something odd about the spoon in her mouth. She pulled it out and looked at it for the first time. It wasn't one that she recognized. It was much heavier and more formal than any of her silverware, but the thing that puzzled her the most was that it appeared to have been engraved.

Curious, she squinted at the silver surface and turned it in the lamp light until the words etched there were as clear to her as a flashing neon sign.

_Marry Me? _

Bella gasped and looked over at Edward to find him setting both of their ice cream dishes down and slipping off of the sofa. Once he was on one knee, he pulled a deep blue velvet box from out of nowhere and took her left hand in his.

"I love you, Bella. I always have. I always will. I seem to have to have the world's worst timing, and absolutely no verbal filter when it comes to how I feel about you. I just blurted out what was meant to be asked as a question and you deserve better than that. You deserve to be asked properly." Edward took a deep breath and opened the box to reveal the most beautiful piece of jewelry Bella had ever seen. She barely got a look at the shiny ring before the tears filled her eyes and obscured her sight. "This was my grandmother's. My grandfather gave it to her for their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. She wore it for another twenty-five years after that before she passed and I've always hoped it would stay on my wife's finger just as long. Longer if I'm lucky."

Bella blinked her tears away and looked from the ring back to Edward.

"Isabella Swan... there's never been anyone for me but you. Eight years and believing that I'd lost you forever did nothing to change that. I am certain beyond any doubt that nothing ever could. I'm yours, forever. Please say you'll be mine too? Please say you'll do me the extraordinary honor of becoming my wife? Marry me, Bella."

Her tears fell freely as she smiled and she sobbed out a "yes." Edward's head dipped slightly in relief before the most glorious smile broke out on his perfect face.

"Yes?" he asked, delirious with joy. "Really, truly, yes?"

"Yes!" Bella shouted with a smile. She held her hand out insistently until Edward took the hint and pulled the ring from its box. Just as soon as he'd slipped it onto her finger, she was in his arms and kissing him with everything she had in her.

Edward stood and pulled Bella up with him, their lips never parted as he spun her around the room. Eventually, they stopped kissing only to stare into one another's eyes. Soon they were swaying in each other's arms, dancing to music that was all their own.

"How long have you been planning this?" Bella suddenly asked, breaking the silence after an indeterminate amount of time.

Edward chuckled. "Well... truthfully, I hadn't planned on asking you this weekend. I had this whole idea to rent out the ice cream shop down the street and fill it with enough flowers for every _day_ that we were apart. I just started negotiating with the manager this week and I'd called Alice to help me order the flowers."

"Alice?"

"The cousin I mentioned. She's a professional event planner. Weddings, corporate fundraisers, the City of Chicago's 4th of July Celebration last year."

"You're kidding me," Bella said, shocked. "Have I met her at the hospital?"

"I don't think so. But I'm sure you will very soon."

Bella had a funny feeling that any ideas she may have had for a small wedding just went out the window. For some reason though, she couldn't be made to care. Maybe with Edward's cousin on board, all she would have to do is show up for her wedding and she liked that idea a lot.

Edward smiled at Bella's smile and leaned down to kiss her. Pulling back, he softly whispered in her ear. "Are you happy?"

"Very."

"I didn't screw this up for you, did I? I know it's fast and I'm being impatient–"

"You're not. And you didn't," she interrupted him. "We're adults, Edward. I want this. I want us. Don't you?"

"More than anything. Do you have any idea how much I love you, Bella?"

"If it's as much as I love you, then there's no measure."

Edward regarded Bella in absolute awe and then swept her up into his arms bridal style a moment later. He kissed her tenderly and made his way towards the comfort of her bedroom. Lowering her to the bed, he took his time while undressing her. When he was done Bella began working the buttons of his shirt, removing it just as slowly, teasing him with her fingernails as she went. The light caught the diamond that now adorned Bella's left hand and they both became distracted by the intricate band of platinum and smaller stones that surrounded it. All teasing was forgotten as they wove their fingers together and Edward kissed his fiancée's ring.

"Do you like it?" he asked, an unfathomable vulnerability visible in his eyes.

Bella nodded and smiled up at him certainly. "I do. It's perfect and so special. Thank you for wanting me to wear it."

"Are you sure it's what you want?" Edward croaked, his grip on her fingers tightening. Bella had begun placing open mouth kisses along his collar bone and down his sternum but she stopped to see his face and knew immediately that he was asking about more than just the style of his grandmother's ring.

"I'm sure," she replied honestly, lifting her head to gaze into his eyes and placing a hand on his cheek.

Edward smiled and leaned over her slowly, taking a long time to just admire and adore Bella's body laid out below him. He spent several long moments barely ghosting his fingers over her skin, leaving her breathless and trembling for more of his touch. He took the time to tell her how much she meant to him. He whispered all the things he saw when he looked into her eyes, not just when they made love, but every moment of every day.

Bella admitted to not being able to imagine a future without him in it, she confessed her fear of losing him again. Miraculously, she felt an immense peace when he swore that he would never let that happen to them. She waited as he finished undressing and when he returned to her, she ran her fingers through his hair and down his neck and shoulders. Her nails teased trails down his sides and over his hips to his backside and soon Edward was breathless with his own desire and nearly shaking from the weight of his love for her.

When he could not wait any longer, he rolled them over with Bella encased in his strong arms and sat up until she was in his lap. Without words she wrapped her legs around his waist tightly and he slid up slowly to enter her. With foreheads and chests pressed together they rocked and circled their hips together, making love secure in the knowledge that it was far from the last time.

~(~)~

* * *

_**End Notes:**_

_Happy New Year! This is the last regular chapter, however there is a short epilogue ahead that will post soon. __Thank you Kathie and Susie for all of your support. :) And t__hank you ALL so much for reading and __reviewing__! _

_Bella's ring can be seen here __{just remove the spaces}__: _http:/ /i1040. photobucket. com /albums /b408 /VGMay /Thering .jpg

_Much Love, Ginnie_

_EDIT 12/31/2010:: Wow... so this little story had over 2500 hits just yesterday! That number is twice what any one of my chapters for any story has ever gotten in a single day. If someone out there Tweeted it, I just want to say thank you. And to the rest of you... I'm a little concerned that out of 2500 visitors only 7 actually reviewed... but thank you for giving my first foray into the All-Human world a chance. :)  
_


	6. Epilogue

_**A/N: ** So this one is a couple weeks late. My apologies, but the good news is, is that there is now a second Epilogue in the works! Thank you to **Katmom** for the beta job! _

_**Disclaimer: **__Still in effect: I do not own the characters of Twilight. I do however own the rest of this chapter. Please do not copy or translate. Thank you. :)_

_**Warnings: **__Still in effect- if you are too young to read this, then don't. ;-) Thx! This is a work of fiction so some artistic license has been taken with certain facts surrounding hospital policy and Rosalie's condition. Happy Reading!_

* * *

**Timing is Everything- The Epilogue:**

**~(~)~****  
**

"Did you mean what you said the other morning?"

"What did I say?" Edward asked, unsure of what she was referring to.

"The thing about me being the mother of your children," Bella whispered, hiding her blush by laying her head against his bare chest.

Edward sighed nervously and tightened his arms around her. "Yeah, I did mean that." He waited a moment and when Bella remained quiet, he rolled over so that he could look at her. "I absolutely want you to be the one. Does that bother you?"

Bella shook her head, butterflies wavering in her stomach. "It doesn't bother me. Strangely enough that was one of the most erotic things you've ever said to me, and..."

Edward swallowed loudly, feeling very aroused by the statement himself. "And?"

"And I've been thinking about it. I even... dreamed about it. Last night. I dreamed about being pregnant. And about a little boy with your eyes and hair."

"Really?"

Bella laughed at the tone of his voice. "Yeah."

"Have you ever dreamed about that before?" Edward asked her.

"The being pregnant part, yes. With my job and everything it happens occasionally. I'll dream that I'm at the bank or something and everything's normal, then all of a sudden I'm nine months pregnant and having some sort of crisis. I've never dreamed about having a baby before though. I usually wake up and realize I'm dreaming about one of my patients before there can be a baby. This was different."

Edward tipped her head up to look in her eyes. "Different good or different bad?"

Bella smiled. "Different good."

Edward thought for a moment. "Is that something you want right away? Maybe your subconscious was trying to tell you something."

Bella shrugged. "Maybe... but I don't really think so. I'd like to be married for a little while first. What about you?"

Edward smiled. "I'll be ready whenever you are. There's no rush."

"Hmm, well..." Bella fell silent and then laughed unexpectedly.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh, I was just thinking how much fun we could have practicing. You know? Until we are ready for that part of our lives."

"Practicing, huh?" Edward teased. Bella's joke amused him but also sent another shot of lust straight to his core. His voice instinctively lowered and he pulled her closer. "Are you saying I need to improve my technique in that department, Miss Swan?"

Bella's breath rushed out of her and she shivered even as she continued to tease him. "I'm not sure, Mr. Cullen. My memory is a little fuzzy. Maybe you should remind me what it is I have to work with here. You know... so I can give you an objective opinion."

Edward growled playfully and shifted his hips towards her as she turned and reached out to take him in her hand.

"My God, Bella... that feels incredible," he panted, his head dropping to her shoulder with a soft thud.

She smiled, feeling a little proud of herself, and added a little extra pressure. "You like that, baby?"

"Ungh..." he groaned, responding both to her ministrations and the use of her term of endearment. Why that drove him wild, he had no idea. But he loved it just the same.

He was just about to come undone when Bella suddenly let go of him and climbed over his body. He wanted to groan from the loss of her touch, but could only manage to sigh in anticipation of being joined with her again. As she positioned herself where he desperately wanted her to be, it occurred to him that the next week would be absolute torture without her in his bed every night. He placed his hands on her hips gently but firmly, preventing her from moving anywhere until she met his eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, love. I just wanted to slow down and savor this a little."

Eyeing the alarm clock on her nightstand, Bella understood. Time was slipping by too fast. The sun would be up very soon and Edward would have to leave her to rejoin the working world on this otherwise normal Monday morning. They'd decided she could wait for him at his apartment when he got home from work this evening, but after that they would have to sleep separately for the rest of the week.

"I know," she whispered, lowering her mouth to his. "I love you."

"I love you, too. More than life."

They kissed for a long time until Bella was whining for Edward to let go of her hips and allow her to take him inside her.

"So impatient," he commented.

"Says the guy who couldn't wait to get a ring on my finger."

Edward chuckled, but then captured Bella's hands and rolled over, taking her with him. They moved together fluidly, as if they had years of intimate knowledge of each other instead of mere days. Edward loved the playful side of Bella as much as he loved the seductive side of her, so when she babbled on about who was being impatient now, he only laughed harder and entered her with a ridiculous smile on his face. She gasped and then giggled, which did funny things to both of them. Their laughter died as they began to move together and did everything they could to get closer.

Sometime later, an incessant buzzing sound attempted to invade on their little bubble. Edward was vaguely aware that it may have been the sound of his cell phone tossed carelessly somewhere in Bella's room. Thoroughly distracted and wrapped up in each other, it wasn't until a second slightly more irritating sound intruded on them that they gave any pause.

"Is that Michael Jackson?" Edward asked breathlessly.

"Yes. Ignore it," Bella answered, equally breathless.

"I'm trying to. Make it stop."

"I'd have to get up to make it stop. That sort of defeats the point."

"How many times is that going to play?" Edward panted as the ringtone started over again.

"I don't know," Bella laughed.

Edward stopped what he was doing and just looked down at her. "_Smooth Criminal_, Bella? Really?"

She laughed harder. "How have you not heard my ringtone before?"

"I don't know, but you're changing it today." He leaned down and kissed her, trying to stop her laughter and ignore the ridiculous noise coming from her phone. "Thank God..." he sighed when it finally stopped.

"Roll over, baby," Bella whispered, suddenly more serious now that the room was quiet again. Edward did as she asked and soon Bella was above him, moving slowly and smiling seductively. "Better?"

"Much."

She hummed in agreement, but not thirty seconds later, the buzzing noise from earlier started up again.

"Is that your phone again?" Bella asked, her brow wrinkling.

Edward sighed in frustration. "Yes."

"We should answer it."

Edward said nothing, but the look on his face told Bella he was warring internally over what to do.

"Baby... it's five in the morning. Something might be wrong."

The buzzing stopped, but only a moment later Bella's phone began ringing again.

"I'm getting it," she sighed as Edward reluctantly nodded in agreement. Groaning, he crawled after her to retrieve his own phone.

Bella ran back to the bed and covered up just as soon as she had the device in her hand. "Who is (312) 555-7833?" she asked.

"Emmett," Edward answered, frowning as he dug for his own phone in the pocket of his pants. "Shit, he's called three times."

He returned to Bella's side and dialed Emmett back.

"We better get dressed," Bella said, checking for any new voicemails. She started to stand, but Edward grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back into his lap.

"Just wait a minute, please."

Bella saw the worried look in his eyes and nodded, running her hands through his hair to soothe him. "Whatever it is... it'll be okay."

"I hope so..." Edward answered, letting out a long breath while waiting for his brother to answer. On the third ring it connected.

"Emmett?"

_"Edward, thank God. Is Bella with you? I need you both at the hospital, man."_

"Bella's here. Why? What's wrong? Is Rose okay?"

_"Yeah, she's stable for now, but we're having the baby now, bro... in like, ten minutes. I need you to get your ass down here. And Rosie wants Bella here too."_

Edward nodded. "I'll tell her. We'll be there as soon as we can, okay?" He exchanged a look with Bella and she stood immediately, making her way to her closet and then the bathroom.

_"Thanks, man."_

"Hang in there, Em."

_"I'm tryin', but I'm shaking like a leaf. They're going to have to put Rosie under."_

"What happened, Emmett?"

_ "I don't know. She started having some strong contractions about fifteen minutes ago and the doc seems pretty nervous about it. He said there's no time for an epidural."_

"I'm sorry, Emmett. Are Mom and Dad there yet?"

_"Not yet. You're the first one I called. Sorry if I woke you guys."_

Edward smiled weakly. "Don't apologize. We're sorry we didn't answer the phone right away. But we're on our way now."

_"Thank you, Edward. See you soon."_

"Bye, Emmett." Edward ended the call and joined Bella in her bathroom to take the fastest shower known to man.

~(~)~

"He's got Edward's hair. How did that happen?" Rosalie said groggily.

The room was filled with soft chuckles and a sniffle or two. Emmett leaned in close and kissed her temple. "I think that's because he really has his grandmother's hair."

Esme Cullen sniffled quietly once again as she snuggled in her husband's arms. She and Carlisle watched proudly as their firstborn introduced his wife to their only grandchild. The baby was sound asleep in his mother's arms, the brand new family made whole at last now that the anesthesia had worn off and Rosalie had been brought back to her room.

"I can't believe he's really here. He's so small. And so perfect." Rose struggled not to cry but failed. She didn't care to be overly emotional in front of people, but she was just so happy and relieved that the tears flowed freely.

The last couple of hours had been the most terrifying and exhilarating of their lives. Not one of the individuals standing in the small hospital room could deny that it had been an emotional rollercoaster. For her part, all Rosalie had known was that one minute she was about to ask Emmett to call the nurse and the next minute she was being put under. When she'd woken up in recovery an hour later, she had been confused and thought for a moment that she might have dreamed the whole scenario. That was until she moved her hand over her belly.

Fortunately, Bella had been right there holding her other hand and was quick to calm Rosalie's instant panic. Rose truly believed that if there was an equivalent to an Academy Award or Pulitzer Prize for nursing, Bella should win it for that one moment alone. Her deep brown eyes and soft voice had soothed the brand new mother and calmed her as she learned in very plain English what had happened.

Rosalie had apparently gone into active labor and the strong contractions caused the placenta to partially detach again. She lost some blood and gave the doctors a scare, but they moved quickly and she pulled through, delivering a healthy baby boy. Ethan Robert Cullen came into the world at 20 inches, 6lbs. 10 ounces, and an initial Apgar score of 8; the last of which, Bella explained, meant he had not suffered any significant loss of oxygen before birth. As a precautionary measure, the baby had been sent to the nursery for a thorough evaluation while Rosalie had been taken to recovery until the anesthesia wore off and she was deemed stable enough to be sent back to her room.

"I can hardly see him over my cheeks. They're swollen, and itchy," Rosalie said after a few minutes of just watching her son sleep.

Bella smiled from the side of the bed where she stood opposite Emmett. "It's a side effect of the anesthesia. It seems to bother some people more than others. We can ask the nurse on duty for some Benadryl."

"Is that okay for the baby?" Emmett asked, knowing Rosalie had intended to try breastfeeding.

"It's considered safe. It will make Rosalie even more drowsy than she already is though."

"I already feel like I could sleep for a week."

"Maybe you should take a nap, sweetie," Emmett suggested.

"Sleep when your baby does," Esme encouraged from where she stood.

Rosalie yawned and then rubbed her itchy cheeks. Another soft chorus of chuckles filled the room.

"I'll go see about some Benadryl," Bella offered.

"I'll go, Bella" Carlisle stopped her. "You're not here to work today," he grinned.

"And you're the only one who hasn't held the baby yet," Esme added.

Rosalie looked up at her friend and favorite nurse. "Would you like to hold him, Bella?"

Bella's cheeks pinked as she glanced from Rosalie to Emmett and then around the room. "I don't want to take away from your family time."

A strong pair of arms encircled Bella from behind at the same time that Emmett scoffed and lifted the tiny baby from Rosalie's sleepy embrace. "Don't be silly," he said. "Ethan might not even be here if it weren't for his Aunt Bella."

Bella was surprised to hear the word 'aunt' in reference to her. She was even more surprised by how it made her feel. Not only was it strange to even think of herself as someone's aunt, she'd just now realized that one day very soon, she really would be.

As if he knew exactly what she was thinking, Edward tightened his grip around Bella's waist and kissed her temple. He had to swallow the lump in his throat when his older brother leaned over the bed and placed little Ethan in her arms.

Was it completely wrong that he wanted that to be his own son sometime very soon? After all he'd only just proposed to Bella less than 48 hours ago.

"You got him?" Emmett asked, pulling Edward and Bella both from their thoughts.

Bella nodded with a nervous smile even as she expertly maneuvered the baby into the crook of her left arm. As she did, she felt her ring slip around her finger a bit. Realizing it was now in plain sight, she looked up at Edward quickly.

"What's wrong?" he whispered at the sight of near panic on her face.

"Holy shit!" Emmett boomed. The baby startled and he lowered his voice to a whisper. "Is that Grandma's ring?

Edward looked at his brother sharply while Esme just appeared confused by her eldest's outburst. Rosalie opened one eye to see what her husband was yelling about at the same time Bella turned and hid her face against Edward's shoulder. She also discreetly covered her left hand with her right.

Emmett broke out wide, mischievous grin. "You two don't mess around, do you?"

Edward scowled. "Way to steal my thunder, bro."

"Hey… you've had plenty of chances today to make a big announcement. It's not my fault you haven't taken advantage of the fact that everyone's here."

"Well, they're not all here right now and maybe I didn't want to take the focus away from the reason we're all here."

"Maybe you should have thought about that before showing up here with that huge chunk of ice on Bella's hand."

"Maybe there were more important things to think about when you called me at five o'clock this morning."

"Well, maybe…"

Rosalie was watching the verbal sparring match going on above her with growing irritation. If she hadn't been feeling so exhausted, she would have sat up and smacked them both. Fortunately Esme appeared at the end of her bed and interceded before she could try it.

"What are you two going on about over here?" Esme demanded.

Emmett grinned. "Why don't you ask Edward, Mom?"

Esme raised an eyebrow and turned to her youngest son. "Edward? What's going on?"

Edward sighed. "Nothing. Can we just forget about it until Dad comes back? And weren't we expecting Alice and Jasper by now?" he added in an attempt to distract his mother.

Rosalie huffed. "Oh, good lord, Edward… Must you make elaborate plans for everything? Just tell her already. I'm sleepy and I don't want to miss it."

Bella couldn't help but start laughing at Rosalie's words. She did so quietly, being careful not to wake the baby in her arms, but it caught Edward's attention nonetheless.

"Do you mind? We didn't even get a chance to discuss it," he said softly.

"It's fine. Just tell them," she smiled up at him.

"Tell us what?" Esme asked anxiously, her eyes lighting up. She hadn't been ignorant of the way her son had been looking at Bella all morning. Or for the past few weeks, for that matter.

Edward opened his mouth to make the biggest announcement of his life so far just as the door to the room swung open.

"Hello in here…" his father's voice called. "Look who I found wandering the halls."

Carlisle entered the room, pushing the door open to reveal not only Rosalie's nurse, but a roguish looking gentleman and a very petite young woman as well.

Esme turned and made a delighted sound. "Alice, Jasper! You made it!"

"We did. We're sorry we weren't here sooner. Monday morning traffic is just terrible," Alice chirped, hugging Esme and handing over one of the largest balloon bouquets Bella had ever seen, before turning to Emmett. "Congratulations, Papa Bear!"

"Thanks, Squirt."

She hugged him and then went to Rosalie's side to offer her a much gentler embrace and congratulations. "Rosalie, I'm so happy for you. And I'm so glad that…" She swallowed, unable to finish her statement.

"I know," Rose smiled, her eyes filling at the unusual show of sentiment from her husband's eternally chipper cousin. Esme instantly began sniffling again even as Jasper clasped Emmett on the shoulder.

"Well, where is the little guy?" he drawled, offering some relief to the emotional tension in the room.

Edward moved aside to allow Bella to step forward so that the others could get a better look at their nephew. He liked the sound of that, _their nephew_.

"You must be Bella," Jasper said, moving around the bed to meet them. "We've heard a lot about you."

Alice squeezed Rosalie's hand once more before bouncing off to her husband's side. "Hi, Bella! I'm Edward's cousin, Alice, and this is my husband, Jasper Whitlock."

"Hello, Alice. It's really nice to meet you. Both of you," Bella said, looking up at Jasper then too.

Edward was glad that he had at least mentioned his cousin to Bella. Alice looked like she was ready to pounce on his bride-to-be. He saw her eyeing Bella's hands and laughed when she held her arms out towards the baby.

"May I?" she asked, shooting a look at Edward. Bella noticed the exchange and was careful to pull her hand back quickly as she handed the little bundleto Alice. Edward made sure to clasp it in his own hand immediately and pull Bella into his side.

He honestly expected Alice to behave as Emmett had. Worse, considering that she'd known two days ago that he was proposing. He was a little puzzled when she just turned to Jasper with the baby and let the issue go. He could only assume that it was her years of experience in planning proposals and weddings that kept her from saying anything further. He didn't notice that the Alice and Jasper's utter fascination with the newest member of the family was completely legitimate.

Edward remained looking down at Bella while the rest of the room became engrossed in Baby Ethan's statistics again. After a while, she felt his gaze on her and looked up. Her smile gave him courage and he fingered her ring in search of approval. She nodded and took a deep breath as he put his arm around her shoulder.

"So, I don't want to interrupt, but before Rosalie falls asleep completely and-"

"Too late," Emmett said.

"What? Oh..." He looked at Rose and then his brother. "Well, you'll tell her?"

"I think she already knows," Emmett smiled.

Edward nodded. "Okay then… um…"

He looked back down at the love of his life, and cleared his throat. His eyes never left hers as he spoke.

"I've asked Bella to be my wife and she's accepted."

Bella smiled just for him as the room erupted into a chaotic symphony of shrieks, gasps and congratulations. She was completely enveloped in her Edward bubble, her eyes only leaving his when they heard Ethan's crying above the rest of the noise.

"Oh… we scared him," Esme cooed, rushing to help soothe the startled newborn.

Jasper had apparently been handed the baby at some point, because the poor man was now looking around a little wildly and trying to hand the squealing bundle back to Alice or Esme. Esme was more than willing to take him, but Alice just laughed and gently pushed the baby back into Jasper's arms.

"Uh-uh, cowboy. You better get used to it now."

Jasper started to protest, but then sighed and smiled somewhat dreamily. "Yeah… I guess I'd better."

Alice's expression matched his as she began showing him how to rock the baby. Both of them were quite oblivious of the fact that the room had now gone silent and all eyes were locked on them.

"Alice?" Esme asked.

"Yes," Alice answered a smug smile playing on her lips.

"Yes?" Esme asked again, looking from Alice to Jasper and then back again.

Alice blushed slightly and Jasper smiled proudly. "Yep."

"We're pregnant," Alice confirmed.

The room once again erupted into a mess of congratulations and well-wishes, though all involved were careful to keep it to a more subdued level this time. Jasper handed baby Ethan off to Emmett and wrapped his arm around Alice tenderly.

Bella watched on, relieved that the spotlight had been taken off of her and happy for Alice's news. Glancing up to tell Edward what she was thinking, she saw his shocked face and laughed.

"What's wrong?" she asked amusedly.

He shook his head and smiled unconvincingly just as Alice seemed to sense his gaze.

"Don't look at me like that, Edward."

"Are you serious, Al?" he asked when he could manage.

"Of course I am," Alice answered smiling.

"Man," Emmett suddenly chimed in from his spot beside Rosalie, "Ethan's going to have a little cousin. That's awesome."

"Well, we think so," Jasper answered, bending to kiss Alice's head.

While Esme and Carlisle fawned over the soon to be parents, Bella watched Edward curiously.

"Wow, Alice… that's… I mean, that's just…" He scratched his head.

Alice laughed. "Don't worry, silly… I'm not due until August. There's still plenty of time to plan your wedding before I go on maternity leave."

Bella almost choked. "That's what you're worried about?"

Edward looked properly abashed. "I'm sorry. I'm just surprised that she didn't mention this the other day."

Alice shrugged. "We weren't telling people yet."

Edward raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. She knew what he meant. What had changed since Saturday.

"It was perfect timing, Edward. You're all here, Ethan was born safe and sound, and Rosalie is going to be okay. More than anyone, you should know that timing is everything."

Edward felt the back of his neck and tips of his cheeks heat. Alice was the only person on God's green earth that would ever know the real reason that he'd rushed his plans for proposing to Bella. An honest explanation was all his cousin had demanded for her services on such short notice.

"Speaking of timing," Carlisle spoke up suddenly. "I hate to be the Grinch in this situation, but, son..." He looked at Edward. "This seems a little fast, doesn't it? Have you even met Bella's parents? You two have only been seeing each other a few weeks."

Esme took on a similar concerned expression and met Bella's now very worried eyes. "Truly, we're both thrilled for you," Esme rushed to explain. "And Edward's the happiest we've ever seen him, but it does seem a little rushed."

"Mom, Dad," Edward began. "I've been in love with Bella from almost the moment I laid eyes on her eight years ago. And before you say anything, yes, I'm sure it's more than just simple attraction. She's amazing inside and out, and makes me want to be a better man. If things hadn't happened the way they did, I have no doubts we'd already be married. I wanted her to be my wife even then, and that hasn't changed. No amount of time is going to change how I feel about her."

"And her parents? How will they feel about this?"

Bella took a deep breath and spoke up.

"With all due respect, Dr. and Mrs. Cullen, my mother will be thrilled and while my father has expressed some concern about my involvement with Edward, he's adjusting. We spoke to him on the phone a few weeks ago and he had a chance to question Edward thoroughly. If my dad has any reservations left regarding our relationship or this engagement, I think they are simply what any father would feel when his only daughter falls in love. And I do love Edward, very much."

Sufficiently satisfied by their speeches, Esme and Carlisle embraced the couple and gave their blessing.

"You know, Thanksgiving will be here in a few weeks. Edward, you really should accompany Bella home to meet her parents. Or maybe you would prefer to wait until Christmas?"

"Actually, Mom... that was one of the reasons we spoke to Bella's folks weeks ago. We decided there was no way in hell... um, sorry Baby Ethan," he whispered towards the baby. "Well, we decided that there was no way we were spending this Thanksgiving apart, or traveling either. So we invited Bella's parents to come here. She was going to do Thanksgiving dinner in her apartment if necessary, but we sort of thought that-"

Esme and Alice squealed almost simultaneously.

"Of course! You simply all must have Thanksgiving with us, Bella..."

"No, no, no... No apartments. I'll plan it all with Aunt Esme at her house. We'll get flowers and..."

Bella laughed and leaned back against Edward as the two women talked over each other and some sort of Martha Stewart sounding plan for the holiday had been put in place. Edward nuzzled her neck with his nose, moving her hair aside to whisper in her ear.

"Welcome to the family, love," he whispered.

Bella shuddered and twisted in his arms until they were face to face. "Is it always like this?" she asked, meaning only the antics of his female relatives.

Edward kissed her once and held her tight, giving her an answer that meant so much more.

"No, love. This is just the beginning."

~(~)~

* * *

_~(~)~_

_So, I've been nominated for the first time ever for an award in fanfiction. The Twinklings blogsite is hosting the **Walk of Fame Awards **and I'm up in two categories! I've been nominated in the "**Little Miss Modesty" **category for** Author of the Best Fic Rated Under "M",** (not for this story obviously, LOL!) as well as in the **"Rising Starlet" **category for** Most Promising Author**!_

_I cannot tell you how incredibly honored I am and I just want to say, "Thank you!", to thank the individual(s) who nominated me! And if you are so inclined, you can vote between now and January 31st at **http : / / twinklingswfa. blogspot. com/ **_

_I'm sure that many of your other favorites are up for awards and honors too, so be sure to check it out!_

_Big Hugs, Ginnie_


	7. Epilogue 2

_One last go around with these two! Please, enjoy. _

_All Disclaimers and Warnings are in full effect. Thank you Katmom & Linguist for beta'ing._

* * *

"**Timing is Everything"- Epilogue 2:**

Edward rang the bell to his childhood home and adjusted his hold on the pies Bella insisted she make. Despite everyone's insistence that it was unnecessary, she wanted to do something to participate in the holiday she had refused to celebrate for so many years.

"Baby, let me take one of those."

"I've got it, love. Just please concentrate on not slipping on the ice."

"Me? You should see yourself right now," she said smiling, but doing as he asked. Bella knew herself well enough to realize that Edward had a very valid point.

Just as he was about to ask her yet again if she was feeling alright, the door swung open to reveal Bella's mother on the other side.

"Hey, you two lovebirds! We were wondering when you'd show up."

"Mom? What are you doing here already?" Bella asked surprised.

Renee grinned and took a pie from Edward as the couple made their way inside. "What do you mean, _'already'_? It's five minutes past when we were supposed to eat. _You're_ late."

Bella looked up at Edward, blushing slightly. "Did it really take us that long to get out the door?" she whispered.

Edward nodded with a smug look that said, _"I told you so."_ Though, to give him credit he was wise enough not to say it out loud. He just smiled and kissed his mother-in-law on the cheek instead.

"Hi, Renee. Happy Thanksgiving. How was your flight?"

"Happy Thanksgiving, Edward. Our flight was fine, but your mother was getting worried about you guys and so was Charlie. You'd better come up with a better excuse than my daughter's blushing cheeks for why you two are late."

Edward sputtered a little when he caught on to what Renee was insinuating.

"Mom!" Bella scolded, taking the pie out of her mother's hands and handing it back to Edward. She gave her mother the evil-eye once more before giving him instructions.

"Baby, take these to your mom and tell her we forgot them and I insisted we went back. And tell my dad that I cried, okay? He'll believe you and he hates dealing with tears."

Edward chuckled and leaned down to kiss his brilliant wife before going to do as he was told. "Yes, Mrs. Cullen. Will you be alright?"

"I'm fine, baby. Now stop looking so nervous, you're going to get us busted."

Edward shook his head. "I'll try, but I still think you're insane. They're going to know when you don't want to eat anything."

Bella shushed him. "They're not going to know until we tell them, but you have got to relax," she whispered. "I'm fine. I promise."

"Okay," he relented, plastering on a fake smile and making Bella laugh in the process. The sound helped him relax a bit more as he made his way towards the kitchen of the large house.

"So..." Renee whispered as soon as he was gone. "How are you really feeling?"

Bella sucked in a slow breath and let it out before answering. Her mother discreetly began rubbing circles into the small of her back. "I'm okay, having a little more pain now. It started on the car ride over. I didn't tell Edward though. Can you imagine?"

Renee giggled. "We'd have to sedate him to get him through dinner."

"Exactly," Bella agreed.

"How far apart are they?"

Bella checked the time. "About 10 minutes now."

"You're membrane could rupture soon, sweetie."

"Well," Bella sighed. "We'll deal with that if it happens. Esme's floors are sealed right?"

Renee laughed lightly and kissed her daughter on the forehead. Placing a loving hand on Bella's swollen belly, she sighed. "You're amazing. I can't believe how calm you're being about this."

Bella hummed. "I'm ready." Her words made Renee tear up a little, but she quickly straightened her face. "Honestly, Mom, you seem pretty calm yourself. I thought for sure you'd freak out by now. In fact, I think that was why Edward went along with my plan to tell everyone after dinner. He thought you'd never be able to keep it a secret."

Renee feigned being offended. "I'm not that bad, am I?"

Bella laughed and spotted Alice coming down the stairs with a fifteen month old Avery in her arms. "No, of course not. Otherwise I wouldn't have told you," she whispered. "Come on, it's show time."

Renee whispered one more thing in her daughter's ear as they headed towards the family-room where everyone was waiting for dinner to be served. "You know I would have figured it out anyway. You're not the only OB nurse in the family."

"That's why I told you," Bella said, smiling at her mother as Alice caught up to them.

"Hi, Bella! Happy Thanksgiving," Alice said happily, setting Avery down to toddle away and then giving Bella the best hug she could manage being that her friend was nine months pregnant.

"Happy Thanksgiving, Alice. How are you?"

Alice smiled like a Cheshire cat. "I'm great. Avery's great. Jasper's great. But what about you? Today's the day, huh?"

Bella's eyes got wide. "What? No. I'm fine."

Alice smiled knowingly and dropped her voice. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me."

"What secret?" Bella tried to cover.

Alice rolled her eyes. "I saw Edward helping you out of the car from the upstairs window. I'd know that nervous-as-all-hell, my wife's-just-gone-into-labor look anywhere. Jasper made the same face if you'll remember. If Edward can't relax, the jig will be up the second you walk in the room."

Bella relaxed and giggled a little. "I know. I told him that."

"Why are you keeping it on the down low anyway?"

"Because I didn't want to make a fuss and have everyone missing dinner. And I'm not ready to go to the hospital yet. They'll want to put me on an IV and a monitor and stick me in a bed."

Alice laughed. "Still planning on natural child-birth, are you?" Bella scowled playfully and Alice put her hands up in surrender. "Hey, to each their own. I'm just saying I wanted drugs as soon as I could get them."

"Alice, you were in labor for like three hours, just shut up," Bella quipped.

"I know. I'm sorry. How long have you been having contractions anyway?"

Bella sighed. "On and off since a little after midnight. They started to become pretty regular around eight this morning."

Alice gasped. "Since midnight! You poor thing... Can I get you anything?"

"No, I'm okay. But you've got to wipe that look off your face. Just wait until after dinner to feel sorry for me."

"Okay, I can do that," Alice nodded, plastering a smile on. "Don't worry. I've got your back," she whispered as the three women walked into the family room. They were immediately greeted by the entire Cullen clan along with Charlie Swan.

Bella smiled at her father, who seemed to handle the sight of his only daughter nine months pregnant fairly well. Just the idea of her having a baby had taken some adjusting to and he'd basically threatened to fly to Chicago and shoot Edward for putting her in that condition when he first heard the news. Never mind that they'd been married for just over six months at the time. Bella wondered if there had been any tension when Edward had first walked in the room a few minutes ago, but if there was, it seemed to be gone now. Charlie and Edward looked to be happily talking about baseball, a conversation that she figured her father must have started in order to avoid the subject of his pregnant daughter crying.

Edward winked at Bella from across the room and shot her a thumb's up when her father wasn't looking. Not more than a minute or two later, he glanced up at his wife again to see her standing near the kitchen, drawing in a painfully slow breath. Even though he'd just knelt down to say hello to his now two-year-old nephew, Edward sent Ethan back to Emmett quickly and made his way across the room.

"Are you okay?" he whispered in Bella's ear, grateful for the fact that Esme and Alice had just called everyone into the dining room at that moment. Bella nodded and took his hand, squeezing it hard and trying to breathe. The contraction had hit her hard and fast.

"Bella?" Edward asked, trying not to look worried.

"I'm okay," she said, her voice strained.

"Just breathe, babydoll," Renee whispered, appearing from the kitchen just then with some crushed ice for Bella. "You too, Edward."

"How long was that?" Edward asked his mother-in-law.

"About eight minutes," she answered, checking her watch to be sure.

"Okay, that's it. We're going to the hospital now, Bella. I'm putting my foot down."

Renee and Bella both smiled the same tolerant smile at him, but it was Renee who spoke to him in that soothing nurse's voice that Edward both loved and hated.

"She'll be okay, honey, but it may be a few more hours yet. There's no need to race off to the hospital with me here. Not to mention your dad, and-"

"Renee, I love you, but you can't be serious," Edward stopped her.

"This is what Bella wants, Edward. She doesn't want to go to the hospital until active labor has begun and she's not there yet. You guys have a birth plan, remember? Let's follow it."

Edward nodded and tried to remain calm. Esme came out of the dining room to see what was keeping them.

"What's wrong, Edward? Bella?"

Bella tried really hard to fake it, but the contraction she was having was still squeezing the ever-loving tar out her abdomen.

"Oh, my..." Esme sighed, seeing the strain in Bella's smile. "I had a feeling this might be the reason you were late."

"You did?" Edward asked, dumbfounded. He wondered how it was that everyone seemed so completely unsurprised and calm about this.

Esme smiled at her son and nodded. "Edward, Bella has just a few days left until her due date. We've been expecting this for a few weeks now."

"I know, but..."

"Honey, are you alright?" Esme asked. "Maybe I should make you a drink. You look like you're about to fall over."

Edward rolled his eyes. "I'm fine, Mom."

Esme just patted his cheek and walked into the kitchen to get her youngest son a glass of wine at the very least.

"Mom," he called. "I have to be able to drive."

"I can drive you guys, Edward," Renee offered. "You should try to relax a little."

Edward stared at his mother-in-law. "Are you really suggesting I get drunk while my wife is in labor with our first child?"

Renee laughed, as did Bella—now that her contraction had passed anyway.

"Nobody said you had to get drunk," Renee smiled.

"Should I put dinner on hold, you guys?" Esme asked, returning from the kitchen with Edward's wine.

"No thank you, Mom. Bella apparently wants to stay for dinner."

"I don't want anyone to miss it," Bella explained. "I'm not in active labor yet. Which means it's okay if you want to have a drink, Edward."

"No, Bella. We're having natural childbirth. No drugs. For you or me. Alcohol's a drug."

The women in the room found Edward very entertaining, but tried not to laugh at him.

"Alright, McGruff," Bella teased. "Let's at least go get you some dinner."

"Bella, baby. McGruff is the 'Take a Bite Out of Crime' dog. You're thinking about Nancy Reagan," Edward corrected.

"Oh, that's right," Bella said.

"Wait, that's not right. Nancy Reagan was the 'Just Say No' campaign," Renee chimed in.

"Oh, yeah."

"Then who said alcohol is a drug?"

"I don't know? The American Medical Association?"

"Maybe it was Alcoholics Anonymous?"

"Who's in Alcoholics Anonymous?" Emmett asked overhearing only the last part of the conversation as the group entered the dining room.

"None of your business, Emmett. That's why it's anonymous," Rosalie commented from her seat. She waved at Bella and Edward and went back to cutting food into small pieces for Ethan.

Edward chuckled. "Nobody's in Alcoholics Anonymous. We were just discussing anti-drug and alcohol slogans from the 80's," he said as he pulled a chair out for Bella and helped her to get comfortable.

"Why?" Emmett asked.

"I have no idea," Edward answered honestly.

Once everyone was seated and Carlisle had offered the Thanksgiving blessing, Edward was starting to think maybe his wife had a point about not telling the family that she'd gone into labor just yet. Everyone was having a wonderful time, (with the exception of Bella every eight to twelve minutes) the food was amazing, and the young mother-to-be seemed happy to have the distraction of all the various family members' news and announcements.

For instance, Alice had re-structured her business the year before to become a stay-at-home mom, but in her time since promoting one of her protégés to manage the day to day operations of her event planning business in town, she'd done anything but sit still. Edward's magnanimous cousin had managed to get a book deal, as well as a gig consulting on a new Lifetime Channel wedding show that was to air sometime the following spring. Her husband too had been busy, but Jasper had some sort of government contract job that he couldn't really talk about. Still, he seemed to like it a lot.

Rosalie had been promoted at the engineering firm where she worked just as soon as she returned from maternity leave the year before. She was now in charge of an entire division and Emmett had been working part-time so he could be home with Ethan more while Rose put in longer hours. They had come up with a five year plan that included adopting another child by the end of the next year and then getting Rosalie into a position at work to be home more than she was presently. She loved her job, but like most mothers, she loved her family more and she and Emmett both wanted more children.

Renee and Charlie filled everyone in on life in Forks, which was sleepy but splendid according to them. Shortly after that, Renee got into a very technical conversation with Carlisle about the Olympic Peninsula's need for a better funded and larger Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Carlisle expressed an interest in helping in whatever way he could, which was no surprise to anyone at the table. He was one of the best neonatologists in the country and had been a long-time champion for tiny babies.

Shortly after the conclusion of that discussion, Esme announced that she and Carlisle were planning to renew their marriage vows privately in Fiji on their next anniversary; so long as their children and nieces would take a short break from having babies, she added.

At the mention of tropical paradises and babies, Edward spaced out a little. He was off in la-la land until Bella reached over and squeezed his leg in the exact right spot to make his knee bang into the table loudly.

"Jeez... Edward. Are you okay?" Rosalie asked, seeing both the table shudder and Edward flinch from the impact.

"I'm fine," he groaned, wincing slightly.

"Are you sure, 'cause..."

"Edward," Bella gasped, tightening her hold on her husband's leg.

"Oh, crap," Rosalie exclaimed rather loudly, the whole table turning to look at her. "Not me! Bella!" she yelled.

"Edward..." Bella called again.

"I'm here, love," wincing again at the pain in his knee as well as Bella's nails digging into him. "Can you let go of my leg, sweetheart?"

She just shook her head.

"Okay, I'm just going to pull your hand off. Ah... there we go," he said, rubbing her hand and his leg simultaneously. She adjusted her grip to his fingers and caused him to wince again almost at the same time she did as the contraction continued. "Easy, love..." he soothed her. "Just breathe."

Renee had stood and started to slide Bella's chair out from the table when her foot slipped a little.

"Well, now..." she said. "It looks like it's time to go, kiddos."

"What? Now?" Edward asked, meeting his mother-in-law's eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Go where?" Emmett asked, too busy helping to feed Ethan to notice what was happening.

"Nothing's wrong. Her water just broke. It's time," Renee answered Edward.

A charged silence overtook the table as those gathered there took in the news. Quite suddenly, they all moved in what seemed like a coordinated effort.

Alice stood swiftly to go get some towels both for the floor and for Bella. Jasper turned to a nervous looking Charlie and patted him on the back while congratulating him and then distracting him with a question about the engine on the Swan's fishing boat. Esme made sure her family had all had enough to eat before she and Rosalie calmly began clearing the table of food. Emmett stayed seated between Avery and Ethan and made sure they stayed out of the way while Carlisle stood and moved around the table to his daughter-in-law's side.

"How far apart are your contractions, sweetheart?" he asked, kneeling next to her and placing a hand on her stomach.

"They were eight minutes," Bella answered, panting. "But now..."

Renee looked at her watch. "I think this one came on about five minutes after the last. It's lasting longer than the others too."

"Do you have your bags here?" Carlisle asked his son.

"We're ready," Edward answered. "Bella knew this morning. She was just didn't want to ruin Thanksgiving."

Carlisle started chuckling. "I don't think you have to worry about that, Bella. Now we just have one more thing to be thankful for."

Bella smiled and tears pricked her eyes. Edward leaned over and kissed the top of her head, wishing more than anything he could just have her all to himself for a moment. They were about to have a baby.

Bella was having _his _baby.

The thought alone made him want to kiss her silly, or do some kind of dorky happy dance. Both of which would require a little privacy.

Unfortunately, by the time they were finally alone again, they were in Bella's hospital suite and Edward didn't feel like doing any kind of celebrating at all. The pain had really started wearing on his wife and with each new contraction she'd whimper or moan in a way that affected him beyond what words could express.

Bella had long ago found it necessary to kick everyone out of the room except for Edward so she could concentrate on resting when she wasn't in pain, which was not often. Edward tried to comfort her by rubbing her back, massaging the cramps out of her legs, and feeding her ice chips when she asked, but he felt as though nothing was working. He didn't know that Bella thought he was doing a better job of supporting her than just about every other father-to-be she'd seen in her five years as a nurse.

"Here comes another one, love. What do you want me to do?" Edward asked when the monitor told him she was about to start contracting yet again. They were coming every two to three minutes now, sometimes with no break in between. Bella's nurse came and went frequently, aware that Bella was getting close.

"Slow dance," Bella answered with effort. "I need to get up."

She moved her legs to the side of the bed and Edward jumped up from his chair at her side to help her. He was glad for the change-up. Watching her just lie there was agony for him too. At least when she stood and he supported her while they rocked side to side, it felt like he was doing something to help her.

"I got you, love. Lean on me. I've got you," he reassured her as she moved into position with her arms around his shoulders. He wrapped his arms around her as well and let her put all of her weight on him. They began swaying side to side, breathing deeply together.

"Edward... back," she moaned after a few minutes. He immediately began providing counter pressure to the muscles in her lumbar area.

She shuddered a bit and he adjusted his touch. Her breathing became more staccato so he whispered in her ear a breathing rhythm that they'd practiced in childbirth preparation classes. Bella responded well and the pain became more manageable with Edward holding her in this position.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too, baby. So much. Now breathe in, Bella. Keep breathing."

She did as she was instructed and the contraction eventually subsided. They continued to move side to side with their heads close together.

"What are you thinking about?" Edward asked in a lull between contractions. Bella seemed almost serene at that moment.

"Feathers," she replied quietly.

Edward's eyebrows almost hit the ceiling. "Really? Now?"

Bella couldn't help but laugh a little. "Yes," she said with her eyes still closed. "It's a very good memory."

"Yeah...it is." Edward said, drawing the words out. "I'm just surprised you're thinking about that right _now_."

Bella inhaled deeply, almost laughing. "I wasn't thinking about _how_ the feathers ended up all over the place. I was thinking about the next morning. The way the sunlight filtered through the gossamer curtains. How the ocean sounded from just outside our door. The way the feathers took flight when you reached for me, and the look on your face... it was so... serene," Bella exhaled the word slowly as the pain of her labor returned.

"Second best night of my life," Edward commented, going back to massaging Bella's back as they danced.

"Second... best...?" Bella asked when she was able.

Edward smiled. "It's a close second. Number one would be the night you told me you were having this baby."

Despite the pain, Bella hummed an agreement. It wasn't as exotic as their honeymoon in Fiji, but they'd still made love all night long. She remembered that she'd never felt so revered, or more precious. At the moment though, she couldn't be bothered to feel either of those things, she was simply in too much pain.

Bella's legs began to wobble as her back and abdomen became rigid. She wanted to scream and cry, but found herself holding her breath. Edward noticed immediately and got her to exhale slowly. In the small space between contractions, he lowered her to the floor and placed her knees gently on a pillow so that she could kneel over the birthing ball they'd been provided with. He sat at her side and tried to keep her breathing as another contraction started almost right away. Bella tried, but ended up almost sobbing before the pain let up. When she felt like she could finally relax again, Edward rubbed her shoulders and got her some ice.

"Why the night I told you about the baby and not our honeymoon?" Bella asked, suddenly resuming their earlier conversation in between ice chips. Truth be told, she needed a distraction. Labor was hard. Knowing that it was, Edward looked on Bella in wonder and answered her question.

"Well..." he began. "That second night in Fiji was definitely the most intense sex we've ever had, and probably the most acrobatic, but..." He shook his head, still amazed they'd managed to tear a hole of that size in the down comforter by rolling off the bed in their fervor.

"But?" Bella asked, once again breathing in soft, frequent exhales.

Edward snapped out of his memories. "But..." he began again. "The night you told me you were pregnant trumped it all, love. That was a spiritual experience; like I could have died happy right then knowing I'd been blessed with everything I'd ever wanted."

Bella looked up at him, panting. "What the hell, Edward? You are not seriously talking about dying at a time like this, are you?" She took a ragged breath. "Shit!"

Edward shouldn't have been shocked by her outburst, but he was, completely shocked in fact. That was until he looked at the monitor attached to his wife's stomach and saw how fast that one had hit her. He'd been too busy thinking about the past to stay in the present with her and prepare her.

"Oh, jeez, Bella. I'm sorry. I should have warned you."

"Damn right you should have," she hissed. "Oww..."

"Bella, baby... Breathe."

"I am! Ow... Ow... Ow... Owww!" she cried.

Edward's heart raced and his heart clenched.

"I'm sorry, Bella. What can I do?"

Bella didn't answer as her face contorted in pain. Edward watched the monitor instead of her, willing Bella's uterus to give her a break. He hated seeing his beloved in pain. Whose idea was natural childbirth anyway?

The door opened and Bella's nurse, Maggie, walked in at that moment. She saw Edward's desperate face and came to kneel beside them, placing a hand on his shoulder in encouragement.

"How are we doing?"

Edward looked lost and Bella just grunted.

"It won't be long now. I've paged the doctor already," Maggie said quietly. "I've been watching her monitor from the nurses' station," she explained when Edward looked confused. Glancing back up at the device in question, she turned back to Bella. "It's letting up now, Bella. You're almost through it."

Bella whimpered and reached out for Edward. He grabbed her hand and she clasped onto him as if he were the only thing keeping her from falling off of a cliff to her doom.

"Almost there, baby. Hang in there. You can do this," Edward kept talking, hoping it would help her.

Fortunately, it did and before long Bella was able to rest for a moment. The pain had nearly stopped and she really wanted to move again, but wasn't sure she could. Edward seemed to sense her distress.

"What do you need?" he asked quietly.

"Up," she whispered. She sounded exhausted.

With Maggie's help they stood and this time, Bella turned her back to Edward and leaned against his chest while he held her and supported himself against a wall. He held her beneath her swollen belly and whispered words of support in her ear. She did well, breathing through several back to back contractions while Edward held her up. It was in this position that she first started feeling the need to push.

"Baby," she panted.

"Yeah, love? What do you want me to do?" Edward asked soothingly.

Bella shook her head. "No. Baby... _Our_ baby... Now... Get mom... Doctor..."

Her limited speech was effective enough and Edward looked to Maggie who sprang into action. Fifteen minutes later, doctors, nurses, and one Renee Swan, were rounded up and Bella was back in Edward's arms. They were both in the LDR bed (because that was where Bella wanted her husband- to hell with hospital policy!), and Edward sat behind her holding her legs while she pushed. She held on to Edward for dear life and he simply held his breath until finally... _finally_... they heard the cry they'd been waiting for.

"It's a girl," the doctor announced.

Bella sagged back in relief and joy, tears falling freely down her sweaty face. Edward was emotional too, watching in awe as Dr. Denali, an old colleague of his father's, placed the squirming baby on her mother's tummy.

"It's a girl," Edward whispered, as if he didn't already know.

Bella laughed or cried, or something in between. "Juliet..." she said, completely spent, but somehow suddenly wide awake.

"Juliet..." Edward echoed, adjusting his arms around Bella so that he could help her hold their daughter. It didn't escape him that he was holding the whole world, his every reason for being, at this very moment.

"Would you like to cut the cord, Edward?" Renee asked, wiping a tear or two off her face from her place at their bedside.

Edward simply nodded as a nurse handed him a pair of shears. When the job was done, the adoring parents were given another moment to dote on their new arrival before she was taken to be cleaned, warmed and fitted with a security band around her tiny ankle.

"Alright, Mom and Dad, let's see those wrists. You get matching bands so the staff will know she's yours," one of the nurses explained. Edward wrinkled his brow a little at the thought that they needed any such security measures, but a tiny cry from across the room made him very glad that they took them.

"And does Baby Girl Cullen have a name yet?" the nurse asked as she finished her task by attaching a special coded band to Bella's wrist.

She and Edward looked at each other a moment and smiled. Edward answered for a newly exhausted Bella.

"Juliet Hope Cullen."

The nurse smiled and wrote the name down on a card that would adorn the baby's plastic bassinet. "Juliet Hope Cullen," she repeated. "6 pounds, 15 ounces. Twenty and one-half inches long.

Edward kissed Bella's tears away as they slipped down her cheeks. Not even seven pounds and their daughter had impacted their whole world. Not even twenty-one inches long and she'd brought them closer together than they'd ever been. Bella knew there was no one who had ever loved a man as much as she loved Edward in that moment. Edward looked into her eyes and knew the same was true for him.

Juliet's tiny cry interrupted their moment and they both laughed.

"Go to her," Bella whispered.

"Yeah?" Edward asked, excited to hold his daughter again, but reluctant to leave his wife.

"Yeah. Go on. And then go get your family."

"As you wish," Edward answered, kissing her temple.

Bella giggled slightly despite some of the discomfort and fatigue she was now feeling. Edward slid out of the bed, but not before kissing her soundly once more. "I love you, Bella. So much."

"I love you too," she answered, closing her eyes for just a minute.

~(~)~

Bella's eyes flew open to a pitch black room and she instantly knew something was wrong. She'd slept too long and too hard, and the baby monitor was too quiet. She started to sit up as her heart began hammering in her chest. Instead, a strong pair of arms reached out to soothe her.

"Hey... Shh... It's okay, Bella. She's fine. I just checked on her and she's fine."

"It's three o'clock in the morning, Edward. She's not fine, something's wrong." Bella sat up and started to kick the covers off of their too large king sized bed. She squinted at the video monitor on Edward's side of the bed and saw Juliet lying in her crib, but that wasn't good enough.

"Baby," Edward sighed, sitting up with her. "I was just in there and she's fine. She's sleeping."

"Are you sure?" Bella snapped, looking for her slippers and thinking idly about how ridiculously cold the hardwood floors in their new house were during the dead of night.

Edward chuckled at her. "Yes, I'm sure. I woke up about five minutes ago having the same exact panic attack you're having now. I raced to the nursery too, just to make sure she was still breathing."

Bella took a deep breath and looked back at her husband. "Really?"

He laughed and nodded. "Really."

"She's fine?" Bella asked, struggling to calm her heart.

"She's sleeping, love. And it's about time she did, don't you think?" Edward asked, rising up on his knees and crawling over to Bella. He encircled her in his arms and rested his chin on her shoulder. Bella relaxed a little.

"I guess so. She is six months old tomorrow."

"Today," Edward corrected. "And you haven't had a solid night's sleep in all that time. Why don't you lie down and try to do that?"

Bella sighed. "I think I'm too keyed up now."

Edward kissed her shoulder. "Would it help if you went to check on her yourself?"

"Maybe... I don't know... It might."

Edward rubbed her shoulders a bit and then hopped off the bed and handed his wife her slippers.

"Thank you," she whispered. She smiled down at Edward and felt a rush of emotion and want. He'd literally waited on her hand and foot for most of the last six months. She was pretty sure she didn't deserve him. A fact that was confirmed for her when he just kissed her nose and helped her off the bed, ignoring the desire she knew he'd seen in her eyes. Of course he knew that she wouldn't be able to relax until she'd seen to Juliet.

Together, they crept down the hall towards Juliet's room. They'd started a bedtime routine with her early in her third month and since then had always put her to bed each night in her crib. She was good about going to sleep in there, but without fail little Juliet woke up before one o'clock every morning to be nursed. She then spent the rest of the night in bed with Bella and Edward. It was a habit both her parents hoped to break just as soon as she was old enough to skip the midnight-ish feeding. Apparently, that day had finally come.

"Satisfied?" Edward whispered as Bella looked down on their daughter's angelic form. Bella nodded and wiped a tear from her eyes as they backed out of the room slowly. Once they were far enough away, Edward stopped her and wiped under her eyes tenderly with his thumbs. "What is this? What's wrong?"

Bella shrugged. "It's like she doesn't need me anymore," she cried irrationally.

Edward couldn't help but laugh; hard. "What? Why? Because she's sleeping through the night? Bella, don't be absurd." Frustrated by his complete dismissal of her feelings, Bella smacked his chest and tried to stomp off. He was too quick for her though and had her back in his arms before she could get far. "Hey, Miss Hormonal... Our baby may not need your milk at one o'clock in the morning anymore, but she still needs you. She will always need you."

Bella frowned, but nodded even as she continued to sniffle quietly. Edward wiped her eyes and kissed her once. "Come with me," he said, taking her hand and leading her down the stairs of their Cape Cod-slash-New England style home. They'd likened it to their own little "Ode to Dartmouth" when they found it just after Juliet was born; it reminded them both so much of Hanover and the architecture of the region where they'd first met and fell in love.

And because their past (albeit interrupted and marked by a bit of heartache) was important to both of them, Edward knew immediately how to cheer up his beloved and overly emotional wife. He led her to the kitchen and sat her down on one of the tall chairs that lined one side of the island countertop.

"What are you doing, Edward?" Bella asked as he opened the freezer. She had a pretty good idea, but thought he couldn't be serious considering the time.

Except that Edward was serious, so he simply continued his task until he had two perfect scoops of Bella's favorite flavor in one bowl, right next to three scoops of his favorite flavor in another. He rinsed the ice-cream scoop and threw it in the dishwasher before returning the containers to the freezer. Moving around the counter with ice cream in hand, he sat next to her and kissed her cheek before digging in.

"I'm starting to think that you believe ice cream fixes everything," Bella said, smiling after her first bite.

"Tell me I'm wrong," he answered, wiggling his eyebrows.

She giggled and dug into her bowl. "You're not wrong, just incorrigible. I'm trying to lose the baby weight, not add to it."

Edward laughed. "Sweetheart, I've never seen you sexier than you were just weeks after you gave birth to Juliet. Or when you were nine months pregnant for that matter. My God, woman... I could have lived with you just like that for the rest of forever."

Bella almost choked on her ice cream, causing Edward to smirk.

"You're insane," she mumbled with her mouth still full. She was too horrified at the thought of being hugely pregnant for eternity.

Edward chuckled. "_You_ were insanely beautiful. You still are. But the sex was amazing and you were insatiable when you were pregnant."

Bella inhaled a little at the memories his words conjured up. Her heart beat faster just thinking about the way he used to look at her, even when she had looked more like a whale than a woman. Not that he still didn't look at her like she was the sexiest thing walking the earth, but it had still been a huge turn on. And the way her pregnant body had responded to him...? It almost made the swollen ankles, itchy skin, aching back and frequent heartburn worth it. Almost. She was nowhere near ready to have another baby anytime soon, but if and when they did decide to get pregnant again, Bella was very much looking forward to the upside of all those hormones.

"Bella? Should I not have said that?" Edward asked when he noticed that she'd gone completely still. Bella shook her head and put her spoon down only to turn and face him. He eyed her curiously as she hopped off of her seat, and then incredulously as she moved to stand between his legs. "Oh," he said, at once picking up on her sudden change in mood as Bella smiled up at him from under her eyelashes as she wet her lips. "Yeah?" he asked, hopefully.

"Yeah," Bella answered, running her hands up his thighs and over his hips until she rested them around his waist.

"Are you sure?" he asked, still hopeful but always cautious not to push. He was completely understanding about the recent changes to their sex life, but it had been a little while since they'd been together, or since she'd looked up at him with such raw and unmasked desire.

"I'm sure," Bella assured him. "Besides, we can both get what we want this way. I can work off some of the baby weight and you can enjoy it while I still have it."

Edward groaned and practically shoved his ice cream out of the way in order to pull his wife to him in a heated kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on as Edward stood and started towards the stairs.

"God, I love you," he whispered in between kisses. "I love every single inch of you."

"I know you do," Bella giggled as his lips headed south. She wrapped her legs around his waist while he slid his hands beneath her bottom to support her. He continued to adore her neck and collarbone with his mouth and when he felt she was secure, he moved one hand up from her backside to her full breasts. He knew better than to squeeze or kneed them, but he was after all a man and, heaven help him, they were glorious.

"I really love these too," Edward mumbled against the skin just above her bosom. His thumb brushed along the side of one breast until Bella groaned.

Unfortunately, it wasn't a good groan. "Oh no..." Bella sighed.

Edward stopped immediately and looked down at her face to see what the trouble was. He felt more than saw the problem and realized his ministrations were likely to blame. "Oh, love. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," she whined as she wiggled down out of his arms and pressed her arms tightly over her breasts. Of course they had inconveniently decided to start leaking just as soon as her husband touched them.

Edward smiled at Bella's irritated expression and reached up to stroke her face. "You want to pump real quick?"

"Yeah, if we're going to do this," she gestured between them. "Then, yeah. I also don't want to wake up in a puddle later."

Edward chuckled and kissed his wife. She closed her eyes and swore under her breath.

"Talk about killing the mood."

"You didn't kill the mood," he replied, stopping her before she could get too upset. "You just postponed it."

"Same difference," Bella sighed. She knew expressing breast milk would make her sleepy rather than amorous.

"Well," Edward said, seeing her frustrated expression. "We could skip the pump and just take a nice warm shower together instead."

Bella considered it for a moment but just as she decided to acquiesce, her words were interrupted by a familiar cry from upstairs. Bella dropped her head into her hands just as Edward started laughing.

"Well," he said. "It looks like we would have been interrupted anyway."

"Story of our lives," Bella commented, smiling a little now despite herself.

Edward took her hand and led her towards the stairs. "Only for a season. It won't always be this way, love."

"I know," Bella smiled, relieved that he was being so supportive. A pouting husband would have been too much for her to handle at that moment. In her more sleep-deprived moments, she sometimes missed the carefree and passionate days she and Edward had only briefly shared before diving headlong into parenthood. Still, she thought, there was a time for everything and everything had its time.

Barely five minutes later, after a fresh diaper and a bit of daddy-daughter cuddling, Edward helped his girls settle comfortably into bed. His wife maneuvered into a side-lying position to nurse Juliet while he lay on his own side facing them. With fingers laced together and resting close to their tiny daughter, it wasn't long before the new parents drifted back into a peaceful slumber. Together they dreamed of Dartmouth and ice cream, of feathers and babies, and a lifetime full of nights just as perfect as this.

* * *

~THE END~

_Thank you for reading!_


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